COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Departmental Assets

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assets with a value of £250,000 or more his Department has bought since May 2010; for what purpose; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Neill: The Department for Communities and Local Government has purchased three assets with a value of £250,000 or more since May 2010:
	
		
			 No. Asset Purpose 
			 1 Firelink equipment for east region This piece of equipment was purchased from ASL Ltd. It is a resilient telecommunications interface to enable voice and data transmissions across the Fire and Rescue Service and other blue light partners. The equipment remains in place and it is programmed to be commissioned for use as part of a bid for a forthcoming resilience and efficiency grant by a group of Fire and Rescue Services in the east/ south east of England. 
			 2 Enhancement (redesign) of the planning portal Capitalised consultancy costs arose for the redesign of the planning portal. The portal 2.0 project allowed users to customise/personalise the portal to their requirements. 
			 3 New standby generator for fire and life safety systems To provide back-up power supply to life safety and fire safety systems in the event of a power failure, and in line with regulatory requirements.

Data Protection

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many official ministerial papers were recorded as not returned to his Department or otherwise unaccounted for in each month since May 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Neill: holding answer 26 October 2011
	No Cabinet Committee papers or minutes for this period are unaccounted for.

Lost Property

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether his Department has lost any (a) computers, (b) mobile phones, (c) BlackBerrys and (d) other IT equipment since May 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Neill: Since May 2010 the following departmental items have been lost.
	
		
			 Item Lost 
			 Computers 1 
			 Mobile Phones 0 
			 BlackBerry 2 
			 Other IT equipment 2 
		
	
	All departmental IT is fully security encrypted.

Departmental Public Expenditure

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much his Department spent on new furnishings in the last year.

Bob Neill: Departmental finance records show that £1,737 was spent on office furniture (e.g. desks, chairs, cabinets, staff lockers) in the last 12 months (ending 30 September 2011).
	Comparative figures are not readily accessible for previous years, although spending was significantly higher, as illustrated by the last Administration spending £134,503 in 2009-10 just on luxury red sofas by the Parisian designers Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when he plans to publish on his Department's website data covering ministerial overseas travel, meetings, gifts received and ministerial hospitality since the end of March 2011.

Bob Neill: In line with other Government Departments, the data for the period from April to June 2011 will be published shortly.

Security

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many people were in possession of a security pass for his main departmental headquarters, including multi-site headquarters and not including staff or contractors, in each month since May 2010.

Bob Neill: Apart from security passes issued to staff and contractors the only passes issued are those to visitors. The Department deletes the record of daily visitor passes issued once the visit has taken place, in line with data protection provisions.

Domestic Waste: Waste Disposal

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the effect on recycling rates of bi-weekly collection of refuse.

Bob Neill: My Department has not undertaken any specific assessment on this issue. Ministers do not believe that it is necessary to have fortnightly rubbish collections to try to increase recycling.
	The cuts to frontline rubbish services encouraged by the last Administration were a lazy option. We believe that more joint working, better procurement, positive incentives and new technology are better ways of improving value for money, while maintaining regular and comprehensive services for local residents.
	Our Weekly Collections Support Scheme initiative will help councils deliver better weekly collections, and in the process make it easier for families to go green and improve amenity and the local environment.

Empty Property

Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when his Department expects to publish its consultation on an empty homes premium.

Grant Shapps: The Department intends to publish its consultation on an empty homes premium shortly. A copy of the consultation has been deposited in the Library of the House. It invites views on the idea of an empty homes premium.

Housing: Fire Prevention

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent representations he has received from charities on fire safety assessments in (a) local authority owned residential property and (b) privately rented property.

Bob Neill: We have received no representations from charities in respect of fire safety assessments in local authority-owned residential property or privately rented property.

Inform: Cost-effectiveness

James Wharton: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how often his Department assesses the work of Inform for the purposes of ensuring value for money for the funding it provides.

Andrew Stunell: Whenever any external organisation applies to my Department for financial support, an initial assessment is carried out of the value for money of its proposals. All bodies which go on to receive financial support are continually assessed under the appropriate framework for the management of public finances.

Local Government Finance

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent discussions he has had on the funding settlement for local authorities for 2012-13.

Bob Neill: Ministers regularly discuss local government finance settlements with interested parties. We will be consulting on our proposals for the provisional local government finance settlement for 2012-13 in due course. As part of the current two-year settlement provisional figures for 2012-13 are available on our website at:
	http://www.local.communities.gov.uk/finance/1112/grant.htm#set1213

Organised Crime: Departmental Co-ordination

Meg Hillier: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Prime Minister's oral statement of 11 August 2011, Official Report, column 1055, on public disorder, what meetings he and his Ministers have had with Home Office Ministers to assist in compiling the report to the House on gang culture.

Grant Shapps: Ministers within the Department for Communities and Local Government regularly meet colleagues from the Home Office to discuss a range of matters.

Organised Crime: Departmental Co-ordination

Meg Hillier: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Prime Minister's oral statement of 11 August 2011, Official Report, column 1055, on public disorder, what meetings his officials have had with the Home Office to assist in compiling the report to the House on gang culture.

Grant Shapps: Officials within the Department for Communities and Local Government regularly meet colleagues from the Home Office to discuss a range of matters.

Piers: Redcar and Cleveland

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which (a) individuals and (b) organisations have made representations to him about securing funding for an additional pier in Redcar and Cleveland.

Bob Neill: My Department has received no representations from individuals or organisations about the funding of a new pier in Redcar and Cleveland.

Urban Areas: Government Assistance

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much his Department has disbursed through the High Street Support Scheme since the scheme's establishment; and how many businesses have received support.

Bob Neill: holding answer 21 October 2011
	I refer the right hon. Gentleman to my Department's press notice of 27 October 2011. I have placed a copy in the Library of the House.

WALES

Children: Poverty

Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent estimate she has made of the number of children in Wales living in poverty.

David Jones: Latest figures derived from the Households Below Average Income series of surveys for the period 2007-08 to 2009-10 show that the proportion of children living in relative poverty in Wales stands at 25%.
	The Government are firmly committed to the goal of ending child poverty in Wales and across the United Kingdom by 2020. The UK's first Child Poverty Strategy “A New Approach to Child Poverty: Tackling the Causes of Disadvantage and Transforming Families' Lives” sets out a new approach to tackling poverty for this Parliament and up to 2020. The strategy is clear that poverty is about far more than income.
	The strategy demonstrates the Government's commitment to lifting people out not only of income poverty, but poverty of aspiration and poverty of outcomes. The strategy established a new suite of child poverty indicators against which progress will be monitored. These new indicators, in addition to those in the Child Poverty Act 2010, continue to recognise the importance of income, but also capture the broader understanding of both the causes and consequences of poverty.
	We must also recognise that the Welsh Government have responsibility for a number of factors that affect child poverty and it is important that their strategy dovetails with ours, especially given that Wales continues to show levels of child poverty well above the UK average.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether she receives any external funding for (a) her ministerial office and (b) her advisers; and what the (i) source and (ii) amount is of any such funding.

David Jones: The Wales Office receives no external funding.

Social Enterprises

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions she has had on promoting social enterprises in the area for which her Department is responsible in each month since May 2010; and if she will make a statement.

David Jones: The Wales Office has no executive responsibility for service provision that social enterprises could undertake.
	However, the Secretary of State for Wales, my right hon. Friend the Member for Chesham and Amersham (Mrs Gillan) and I are aware of the positive impact social enterprise—an aspect of the big society vision—can have in communities and we are committed to promoting and encouraging it in Wales. Our recent big society seminar, which examined how all sectors could get involved in activity to benefit the community, was attended by several representatives of the social enterprise sector. In addition, I have visited several social enterprises since May 2010, including the very successful Crest co-operative in Llandudno and the Cwm Trannon community co-operative at Trefeglwys.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Departmental Public Expenditure

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether he receives any external funding for (a) his ministerial office and (b) his advisers; and what the (i) source and (ii) amount is of any such funding.

Owen Paterson: No.

Departmental Responsibilities

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland at how many events organised by (a) charities, (b) other civil society groups, (c) businesses and (d) lobbying organisations Ministers and senior officials in his Department have given speeches in each month since May 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Hugo Swire: Since May 2010, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, my right hon. Friend the Member for North Shropshire (Mr Paterson), and I have attended a great many events and functions organised by a wide range of organisations across Northern Ireland. We have spoken at a number of these events either informally or to a formal text which would routinely be published on the departmental website. The level of detail the hon. Member requires can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Asylum

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many UK Border Agency (UKBA) flights to Sri Lanka there have been in each month since May 2010; how many failed Tamil asylum seekers were on each flight; how many are still in contact with UKBA or other Government representatives; and if she will make a statement.

Damian Green: Where a person is found not to be in need of international protection and they have no other lawful basis to remain in the UK, we expect them to leave the country. We would prefer such people leave voluntarily and we provide a number of comprehensive schemes to assist them with doing so, but if they fail to leave, we will enforce their departure.
	Most people whose removal is being enforced leave on scheduled flights, but in the case of Sri Lanka, the UK Border Agency has also chartered two flights, one in June 2011 returning 26 people and a second in September 2011 returning 50. These were Sri Lankan nationals; the UK Border Agency only keeps records of nationality rather than ethnicity.
	We monitor the conditions in countries across the world closely and only seek to return people where it is safe to do so and it would not put the UK in breach of its international obligations. The UK Border Agency does not routinely monitor the treatment of individual subjects once they are removed from the UK, given that they have been found not to be in need of international protection. However, in the case of Sri Lanka, we currently provide those being returned with the contact details of the high commission in Colombo.

Asylum

David Heyes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many legacy asylum cases concern asylum seekers who are not (a) awaiting prosecution, (b) awaiting removal and (c) subject to ongoing litigation in Ashton-under-Lyne constituency.

Damian Green: There are 11 asylum seekers in Ashton-under-Lyne who do not meet any of the criteria under (a), (b) or (c) in the question. These data are sourced from a local management team and should be treated as provisional.

Civil Disorder

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the answer of 13 September 2011, Official Report, column 1129W, on civil disorder, when she expects information on the number of claims received from businesses under the Riot (Damages) Act 1886 to be available.

Nick Herbert: Under the Riot (Damages) Act 1886, affected police authorities are responsible for assessing all claims for compensation made to them by both businesses and households. They then pay such compensation as they see fit. Police authorities are not required to pass on information on the number of claims received from either businesses or households to the Home Office. However, this may be submitted as part of any application for Home Office support to meet the costs incurred by the authority. We have not yet received any final formal special grant applications relating to the Riot (Damages) Act costs.

Security

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what level of security vetting is required for the post of (a) head of communications, (b) deputy head of communications and (c) head of press office in her Department; and if she will list each person who has held these posts since May 2010;
	(2)  what level of security vetting is required for (a) grade six and seven, or equivalent, press officers and (b) ministerial private secretaries in her Department;
	(3)  what level of security vetting is required for (a) special advisers and (b) ministerial-appointed policy advisers in her Department; and if she will list each person who has held these posts since May 2010.

Damian Green: The Home Office undertakes national security vetting clearances in line with the guidance published on the Cabinet Office website. It is not appropriate to confirm which posts require vetting and at what level as it would be highlight who may have access to sensitive or classified material.
	The Cabinet Office publishes on a quarterly basis the names of all special advisers.
	Since 2010 Yasmin Diamond has held the post of director of communications. Simon Wren and Andy Tighe have held the post of head of news. The Home Office does not have a ‘deputy head of communications’.

Security

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what company or Government service is used to undertake security vetting at (a) counter-terrorist check, (b) security check and (c) developed vetting level in her Department.

Damian Green: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office Services (FCOS) currently undertake all (CTC, SC and DV) national security vetting checks on behalf of the Home Office.

Telephone Services

Stephen Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much her Department has allocated to each telephone helpline funded by her Department in 2011-12; what the purpose is of each such helpline; and how many calls each helpline received in each of the last five years.

Damian Green: As of 30 September 2011, the Department had allocated £9,015,000 of funding to helplines operated by the Department in 2011-12. The following table summarises the amount allocated to, the purpose of and the number of calls logged at each of the different helplines.
	
		
			    N umber  of calls received (2) 
			 Helpline Purpose of helpline 2011-12 full year budget (1)  (£000) 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 March to-September 2011 
			 UKBA        
			 Immigration Enquiry Bureau —Croydon Contact Centre Provides information about requirements regarding permission to stay and settle in the United Kingdom for those subject to immigration control. This Contact Centre also offers a Public Enquiry Office (PEO) appointment booking service for customers who have been unable to book an appointment online. 2,436 3,083,000 4,948,000 4,385,000 1,598,000 663,000 
		
	
	
		
			 The Sponsorship and Employers Helpline—Sheffield Contact Centre Provides information for employers and education providers about sponsorship under the points based system, advice to employers about preventing illegal working and an email service to employers who want to verify the entitlement to work for people awaiting the outcome of an application. The Contact Centre also provides information about Bulgarian and Romanian work permits and accession worker cards. 1,176 834,000 1,290,000 728,000 573,000 198,000 
			 The Nationality Contact Centre—Liverpool Contact Centre Provides information about British citizenship. The Contact Centre also answers general inquiries from supported asylum seekers in relation to their weekly cash support, accommodation or emergency cash payments. 736 938,000 1,053,000 1,593,000 1,092,000 335,000 
			 Total 2011-12 UKBA funding  4,348      
			         
			 IPS        
			 General Register Office—first point of contact The General Register Office Advice Line provides advice in respect of birth, marriage and death registrations and certificate issues; services are provided by Identity and Passport Service staff. 2,100 (3)— 234,000 227,000 214,000 n/a 
			 The Customer Enquiry Centres (CECs) Customer Enquiry service provided by Identity and Passport Service staff. 1,800 3,814,000 3,331,000 3,148,000 2,799,000 n/a 
			 Total 2011-12 IPS funding  3,900      
			         
			 NFA        
			 Action Fraud, the national fraud reporting centre Action Fraud, the national fraud reporting centre run by the National Fraud Authority, operates a fraud reporting telephone line as part of its service to collect fraud reports on behalf of the police. 767 (4)— (4)— 1,000 45,000 85,000 
			 Total 2011-12 NFA funding  767      
			         
			 Total Home Office funding  9,015      
			 n/a = not available (1) At 30 September 2011 (2) Rounded to nearest thousand (3) GRO did not become part of IPS until 2008-09 (4) Helpline was not set up until October 2009

Deportation: Offenders

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the answer of 24 October 2011, Official Report, column 41W, on deportation: offenders, how long the 10 longest cases were where a deportation order was issued to a foreign national offender and that offender remains in the UK.

Damian Green: We seek to remove all foreign criminals who have committed a serious crime in the UK, prior to their release from prison. In order to achieve this, we have made considerable improvements to the way we deport foreign national offenders. By considering criminal cases at an earlier stage, we have increased the number of offenders that are moved directly from criminal detention out of the country.
	A deportation order may be served on the offender at the start of their sentence; they will not be deported until the end of their prison term.
	The following table sets out the 10 longest cases where a deportation order has been issued to a foreign national offender and that offender remains in the UK:
	
		
			 Date deportation  order served Length in years from service of the deportation order Reason for delay in deportation 
			 2 August 1991 20 Currently serving life sentence 
			 10 November 1992 19 Currently serving life sentence 
			 30 May 1995 16 Absconded 
			 17 February 1998 13 Outstanding HR claim 
			 20 March 2001 10 Currently serving life sentence 
			 18 April 2002 9 Currently serving life sentence 
			 8 November 2002 8 Bailed awaiting documentation 
			 20 November 2002 8 Outstanding HR claim 
			 6 May 2003 8 Outstanding HR claim 
			 9 December 2003 7 Absconded

Deportation: Offenders

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the answer of 24 October 2011, Official Report, column 41W, on deportation: offenders, in (a) how many and (b) what proportion of cases a foreign offender has (i) successfully and (ii) unsuccessfully appealed a deportation order.

Damian Green: Between 1 August 2010 and 1 September 2011, 1,598 foreign national offenders appealed their deportation order. 426 (26%) were allowed, 754 (47%) were dismissed and 418 (26%) were either withdrawn, abandoned, struck out or have yet to be heard.

Diplomatic Immunity: Training

Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what training is provided to police officers on dealing with cases where a suspect may have diplomatic immunity.

Nick Herbert: Training for diplomatic immunity is covered within the Initial Police Learning and Development programme (IPLDP) for police constables, police community support officers and special constables. The IPLDP modules are mandatory to all forces and are delivered within the two year probationary period.
	Further optional modules are also available for those forces that are more likely to use this legislation.

DNA: Databases

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in how many cases interim electronic data on the National DNA Database and in databases held by forensic science services has been destroyed following an exceptional case decision; and if she will make a statement.

James Brokenshire: Because of the particular facts in one case, the interim data relating to that individual were destroyed.
	Interim data are held on the forensic suppliers' systems but not on the National DNA Database (NDNAD).
	Further work is underway to break any link between interim data created during the process of generating a DNA profile and an individual, subject to any requirements of the Criminal Procedure and Investigations Act (1996). This includes changing forensic supplier identification codes and an independent audit.
	The National DNA Database (NDNAD) Unit is also exploring whether it may be possible to change the profiling process so that interim data held by suppliers would no longer be stored in batches, so that they could be destroyed for individual profiles more readily.

Entry Clearances

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many migrants holding leave to remain under PBS Tier 1 Post-Study Work and predecessors have been granted an extension of stay by switching into (a) other PBS Tier 1 categories, (b) PBS Tier 2 and (c) PBS Tier 4 in each quarter from the first quarter of 2009;
	(2)  how many family visitors have extended their leave to remain in the UK by switching into the family leave to remain category in each year since 2005.

Damian Green: holding answer 31 October2011
	The information can be provided only at disproportionate cost, as it would require a manual search of individual case files.

Entry Clearances

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Tier 4 visa holders remained in the UK on the post work study route as of 1 September (a) 2009, (b) 2010 and (c) 2011.

Damian Green: The information can be provided only at disproportionate cost, as it would require a manual search of individual case files.

Gangs

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many gang-related witness intimidation offences have been recorded in each (a) London borough and (b) police force area in each of the last five years; and how many such offences are categorised as (i) detected, (ii) undetected, (iii) live and (iv) victim declines to prosecute;
	(2)  how many recorded offences where either the perpetrator or the victim were identified as connected to a gang were categorised as (a) detected, (b) undetected, (c) live and (d) victim declined to prosecute in each (i) London borough and (ii) police force area in each of the last five years.

Nick Herbert: The requested information is not available centrally.

Immigrants: Detainees

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what arrangements there are for children of mothers who have been detained for immigration purposes to maintain contact with their mothers while they are in detention.

Damian Green: The Detention Centre Rules 2001 require that all detained persons are entitled to enjoy family life by way of visits from, or communications with, family members. This requirement applies equally in the case of detained mothers whose children are living in the community or under local authority care.
	Other than those necessary in the interests of safety and security, there are very few restrictions placed on the ability of detained persons to maintain outside contacts. All persons detained in immigration removal centres may receive unlimited visits. They may make and receive telephone calls and send and receive as many letters as they wish. Where detained persons do not have the necessary funds to do so, arrangements are in place for them to make telephone calls or send letters free of charge.

Lancashire Constabulary

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions she has had with Lancashire police on advice given by that police force that the public display of Bible verses was a breach of public order; and whether she plans to meet the Chief Constable of Lancashire police to discuss this matter.

Nick Herbert: No such discussions have taken place, as decisions on arrests are independent operational matters for the police.

Personation

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether (a) she, (b) her Ministers and (c) her officials have had discussions with the Metropolitan Police on the provision of evidence by police officers in court under a false identity; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Herbert: Home Office Ministers and officials have not met with the Metropolitan Police to discuss the provision of evidence by police officers in court under a false identity. Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary is currently reviewing police tactics in this area and we await its report.

Police: Surveillance

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance has been given to police forces on the infiltration of registered political parties by undercover officers.

James Brokenshire: Police forces may only use the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (‘RIPA’) to authorise the use of covert techniques if this is necessary for certain human rights compatible purposes such as the prevention of crime, public safety or national security and if it is proportionate to do so. The subjects of such investigations are a matter for the police, but statutory guidance on how best to apply these principles is given in the Home Office produced RIPA code of practice on covert human intelligence sources. Although no specific mention is made of political parties, the human rights purposes and principles apply to the same extent as with any crime, public safety or national security investigation conducted by the police. And the same human rights safeguards of independent overview, inspection and right of redress apply with equal force.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Carbon Emissions: Business

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether she proposes that her Department's consultation on Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reporting will take account of (a) the Department for Energy and Climate Change's review of the Carbon Reduction Commitment and (b) the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills' consultation on the future of corporate narrative reporting.

Richard Benyon: The Department of Energy and Climate Change's review of the Carbon Reduction Commitment and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills' consultation on narrative reporting are both relevant in considering whether to introduce regulations requiring companies to report greenhouse gas emissions.

Food: Prices

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment her Department has made of the contribution of market speculation to food price volatility in 2007-08.

James Paice: The report “The 2007/08 Agricultural Price Spikes: Causes and Policy Implications”, published by HMG in January 2010, reviewed various potential mechanisms whereby speculation might have distorted markets. It concluded that there was no conclusive evidence that speculation leads to higher or more volatile prices, although we do know that some factors like export bans, stock levels, energy prices and damaged harvests certainly can put pressure on prices.
	On 8 April 2011 the UK and Brazil called on members of the G20 to take action to tackle food price volatility, in the face of food price inflation and long-term food security challenges.
	G20 Agriculture Ministers welcomed the steps which Finance Ministers are taking to ensure appropriate and transparent regulation of financial markets.

Slug Pellets

Paul Uppal: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she is taking to protect (a) hedgehogs and (b) other wildlife from metaldehyde and methiocarb slug pellets.

Richard Benyon: As plant protection products (pesticides), both metaldehyde and methiocarb slug pellets are controlled under EU pesticides legislation. The Chemicals Regulation Directorate (CRD) of the Health and Safety Executive (the Government body responsible for regulating pesticides) carries out checks to ensure the risks that can arise from the use of these products are not unacceptable. This will include an assessment of the toxicity of each product and the ways in which spray operators, the public or environment, including wildlife, are exposed to them.
	Controls extend to the use of pesticide products and CRD routinely restricts the way products can be used (for example specifying dose rates, timing and place of application) to ensure the protection of human health and the environment. Users are also legally obliged to take all reasonable precautions to protect the health of human beings, animals and plants. Advice on how this can be done is set out in a statutory “Code of Practice for Using Plant Protection Products” which, among other things, contains guidance on minimising the exposure of wild birds and mammals to pesticides.
	In addition, the Government's Wildlife Incident Investigation scheme (WIIS) investigates the deaths of wildlife where there is strong evidence that pesticide poisoning may be involved. The purpose of the scheme is to monitor pesticide use after authorisation, but where there is evidence of misuse or abuse of pesticides enforcement action may be taken. In England and Wales only ten hedgehog deaths have been reported to the scheme in the last five years, none of which was found to be as a result of poisoning by pesticides. Information on WIIS (including monitoring results) is available on CRD's website at:
	www.pesticides.gov.uk

Squirrels: Pest Control

Simon Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what research her Department has (a) commissioned and (b) published in relation to immuno-contraception as a means of controlling grey squirrels; and what the cost to the public purse of such research has been.

Richard Benyon: Work on immuno-contraception in grey squirrels by the Forestry Commission's agency Forest Research ended in 2006-07. Field trials failed to produce an immune response that was powerful or long-lasting. Attention has now turned to another compound called DiazaCon which has shown promise as a fertility control agent. ‘Proof of concept' enclosure studies between 2007 and 2011 confirmed an effect of DiazaCon on squirrel blood chemistry but the effect on reproduction was inconclusive. Further research is also needed to refine species-specific field delivery systems.
	Information on immuno-contraception was last reported in Forest Research's Annual Report and Accounts in 1999-2000.
	Results from the recent enclosure studies of the use of DiazaCon were presented at the 8(th) International Vertebrate Pest Conference in 2011. The proceedings are due to be published in Pest Management Science early in 2012.
	The cost of the studies on immuno-contraception totalled £323,000 during the period 2002-07. They were funded by the Forestry Commission, DEFRA, the Countryside Council for Wales, Scottish Natural Heritage and Natural England. A total of £282,000 has been spent on studies using DiazaCon from 2007-11 by DEFRA and the Forestry Commission.

Third Sector

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many letters she has received on funding for civil society organisations within her Department's area of responsibility in each month since 1 June 2010; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Benyon: DEFRA has received at least nine letters on funding for civil sector organisations in 2010-11 and four in 2011-12. A comprehensive search for correspondence on these subjects would incur disproportionate cost as records are not held centrally.

Waste: Exports

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to ensure enforcement of the provisions of the waste electrical and electronic equipment directive to reduce the amount of illegal waste exported to developing countries.

Richard Benyon: The waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) regulations are primarily focused on ensuring that the producers of WEEE finance its collection, treatment and recovery. The UK environment agencies (the Environment Agency, Scottish Environment Protection Agency, and Northern Ireland Environment Agency) have an active compliance monitoring programme covering the key elements of the WEEE regime. This includes ensuring that management and dealings of WEEE are consistent with wider waste regulations.
	More generally, export of waste from the UK falls under the EU Waste Shipments Regulation, supplemented by the UK-wide Transfrontier Shipment of Waste Regulations 2007. The environmental agencies have adopted an intelligence-led approach to illegal exports, including of WEEE, which is delivering results by disrupting the flow of these. This approach is also resulting in enforcement actions against waste criminals.

Waste: Exports

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of producer compliance schemes in reducing illegal waste electrical and electronic equipment exports.

Richard Benyon: Producer compliance schemes do not have a direct obligation or responsibility placed upon them to reduce the volume of illegal exports. They are, however, required to have systems in place to ensure that all separately collected waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) which is financed by them on behalf of their members is properly treated, in line with the best available treatment, recovery and recycling techniques, thereby minimising the risk of illegal exports.
	The systems that the schemes have set now allow for most of the WEEE to be properly collected, treated, recycled and recovered, thus diverting supply from illegal exports.

Waste: Exports

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her estimate is of the amount of electronic waste illegally shipped from the UK and dumped in developing countries in the latest period for which figures are available.

Richard Benyon: The nature of illegal exports, in that perpetrators seek to avoid detection, makes it difficult to provide an accurate assessment of the amount of electronic waste illegally shipped from the UK.
	An intelligence-led approach allows the Environment Agency (England and Wales), the Scottish Environment Protection Agency and the Northern Ireland Environment Agency to identify and disrupt the movement of waste intended for illegal export. However, so far it has not been possible for them to assess the total quantities that may be involved in this illegal trade.

Waste: Exports

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she plans to take to reduce the amount of electronic waste exported from the UK.

Richard Benyon: The export of electronic waste from the UK is controlled by the EU Waste Shipments Regulation. Under the regulation, electronic waste may be exported for environmentally sound recovery. However, the export of any hazardous electronic waste to developing countries is prohibited. The competent authorities for the enforcement of the Waste Shipment Regulation in the UK are the Environment Agency in England and Wales, the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency and the Northern Ireland Environment Agency.
	The competent authorities have adopted an intelligence-led approach to deal with illegal exports of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE). This is delivering results by disrupting the flow of illegally exported WEEE, and is also resulting in enforcement actions against waste criminals.
	Alongside the deterrent effect of its enforcement work, the Environment Agency recognises that cutting off the supply of WEEE to illegal operators at source is a key activity. It is working with waste producers and partner organisations in an effort to ensure that electronic scrap only enters recycling and reprocessing routes operated in accordance with the WEEE and other environmental regulations.

Waste: Exports

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she is taking with other EU and foreign Governments to reduce illegal exports of electronic waste.

Richard Benyon: The UK is a party to the Basel convention on the control of transboundary movements of hazardous wastes and their disposal, the only global legal instrument on this issue. Our substantial input has helped the convention to agree a global guidance document on the management of computing equipment as part of the Partnership for Action on computer equipment, a multi-stakeholder partnership under the Basel convention. The convention is also working on a wider document to assist with the global policing of the transboundary movements of electronic waste.
	The convention is implemented in the EU through the Waste Shipments Regulation, which is supplemented in the UK by the Transfrontier Shipment of Waste Regulations 2007. Under these regulations it is a serious criminal offence to export waste illegally, with the possibility of significant penalties for those convicted.
	Tackling the illegal export of electronic waste is also a Key feature of the work being done by numerous EU and International bodies such as the European Union Network for the Implementation and Enforcement of Environmental Law, Interpol, Europol and the United Nations Environment programme. The UK competent authorities (the Environment Agency for England and Wales, the Scottish Environment Agency and the Northern Ireland Environment Agency) actively participate in numerous programmes and projects which carry out joint intelligence-led inspections and investigations, allow cross-border multi-agency sharing of intelligence, techniques and skills and improve business awareness of the controls which apply to the management of waste electrical and electronic equipment.

Whales: Japan

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has had with the International Fund For Animal Welfare on the killing of whales by Icelandic and Japanese boats.

Richard Benyon: I met representatives from the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) to discuss whaling in July. An IFAW representative also formed part of the UK delegation I led to this year's annual International Whaling Commission meeting.
	DEFRA officials regularly meet members of the Wildlife and Countryside LINK whale working group and the whalewatch coalition, which together comprise the principal anti-whaling nongovernmental organisations in the UK. The next meeting is scheduled for November.

Whales: Pollution

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the answer of 17 October 2011, Official Report, column 606W, on chemicals, what assessment her Department has made of the effects of flame-retardant chemicals on the health of killer whales in UK waters.

Richard Benyon: The collaborative UK Cetacean Strandings Investigation programme (CSIP), aims, among other things, to undertake surveillance on the incidence of exposure to environmental pollutants in stranded cetaceans.
	Very few killer whales strand around the UK; only 23 strandings have been recorded out of nearly 10,500 cetacean strandings in the UK since 1990. Of these, six have been examined at post-mortem. As such, there is insufficient data to make an adequate assessment of the possible effects polybrominated flame retardants (PBDEs) and other pollutants have on the heath of the killer whale population.
	However, given that PBDE levels are now very low in porpoises, the risk to killer whales is likely to be quite small and declining as PBDE levels continue to drop in the marine environment.
	Other brominated flame retardant compounds, such as hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) and tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBP-A), have also been detected and monitored. Levels of these chemicals are still much lower than for polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs).
	The 2010 report of the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea working group on marine mammal ecology concludes that PCBs, despite being banned for 30 years in Europe, remain the biggest chemical risk to marine top predators such as killer whales and inshore bottlenose dolphins in the North East Atlantic region rather than PBDEs or other brominated flame retardants.

SCOTLAND

Departmental Assets

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what assets with a value of £250,000 or more his Department has bought since May 2010; for what purpose; and if he will make a statement.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office has not bought any assets with a value of £250,000 or more since May 2010.

Consultants

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many full-time equivalent staff are employed on consultancy contracts in his Department; and if he will make a statement.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office does not employ staff directly. All staff are on secondment from other public bodies, mainly the Ministry of Justice and the Scottish Government. However, I can confirm that no staff working within the Scotland Office are employed on consultancy contracts.

Lost Property

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether his Department has lost any (a) computers, (b) mobile telephones, (c) BlackBerrys and (d) other IT equipment since May 2010; and if he will make a statement.

David Mundell: Since May 2010, two BlackBerrys have been lost from the Scotland Office. Security features on these ensured that no information could be obtained from them. No other computers, mobile telephones or other IT equipment have been recorded as lost in that time.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he receives any external funding for (a) his ministerial office and (b) his advisers; and what the (i) source and (ii) amount is of any such funding.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office receives no external funding for ministerial offices or advisers.

Departmental Responsibilities

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland at how many events organised by (a) charities, (b) other civil society groups, (c) businesses and (d) lobbying organisations Ministers and senior officials in his Department have given speeches in each month since May 2010; and if he will make a statement.

David Mundell: The Secretary of State for Scotland, my right hon. Friend the Member for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk (Michael Moore), and I regularly attend and give speeches at the events of a wide range of organisations. Further information on ministerial meetings and events is published quarterly at:
	www.data.gov.uk

Departmental Responsibilities

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many applications from employees to run services for which his Department is directly responsible he has received since May 2010; and if he will make a statement.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office is not directly responsible for running any services. Therefore, no applications have been received from Scotland Office staff.

Social Enterprises

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has had on promoting social enterprises in the area for which his Department is responsible in each month since May 2010; and if he will make a statement.

David Mundell: Ministers and officials frequently engage with social enterprises and organisations representing them.

Voting Rights

James Wharton: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has had with the Scottish Government on the eligibility of Scottish people resident in the other parts of the UK to vote in any future independence referendum in Scotland.

David Mundell: The Secretary of State for Scotland, my right hon. Friend the Member for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk (Michael Moore), and I are having discussions with the Scottish Government on their plans for a referendum on Scottish independence.

ATTORNEY-GENERAL

Departmental Assets

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Attorney-General what assets with a value of £250,000 or more the Law Officers' Departments have bought since May 2010; for what purpose; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Garnier: Since May 2010, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has bought the following assets with a value of £250,000 or more.
	
		
			 Asset description Asset purpose Cost (£) 
			 Furniture for new HQ site Achieve government space standards and reduce per head accommodation costs 1,091,858 
			 Security doors and equipment at new HQ site To meet recommended security standards at new HQ site 336,218 
			 CCTV, alarm system and security room console at new HQ site To meet recommended security standards at new HQ site 351,899 
			 Video conferencing equipment and installation at 13 sites To facilitate video conferencing and reduce the cost of travel to meetings 545,913 
		
	
	New furniture was bought as part of a project to relocate CPS staff from two London buildings into a new site. The new furniture has enabled the CPS to introduce flexible working arrangements, reduce workstation and floor space allocations and reduce accommodation costs by an estimated £5.2 million per annum.
	The installation of new video conferencing systems at 13 CPS sites will reduce the need for staff to travel to meetings, cutting travel, hotel and subsistence costs. It is forecast that the initial investment in this equipment will be repaid and savings of at least £242,000 achieved by 2014-15.
	Since May 2010 TSol has implemented three major projects where the aggregate cost of all capital elements will exceed £250,000.
	These projects are:
	Case Management System
	The Case Management System (CMS) is a computerised system that holds the relevant particulars for a case, helps the case officer keep track of tasks and diary dates, enables them to create and store correspondence, record time and maintain a record of the case. It has been designed to allow the Litigation Group to handle increased case loads with the same resources. It provides better quality information and relieves case workers of much of the routine business of case management, releasing them to concentrate on providing legal support and service to our clients.
	Disaster Recovery site
	A new disaster recovery site became operational in December 2010, creating a facility for TSol to switch to quickly in the event that its main site is inaccessible.
	Legal Information Online Network project
	The replacement of the on-line legal information service provided to the Government Legal Service and other subscribers. The Efficiency Reform Group (ERG) and HM Treasury have approved the cost of the project which will allow the Government Legal Service (GLS) to make significant efficiency savings over the next few years.
	The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has not made any individual payments for assets over the value of £250,000 since May 2010. However, as part of the implementation of its IT system, one intangible asset (IT software) has been implemented since May 2010. This intangible asset was being developed from June 2009 to March 2011. At the point at which the development work was completed and treated as implemented its value was transferred to the SFO asset register in accordance with governmental accountancy guidelines.
	The remaining Law Officers' Departments have not recorded any expenditure on individual assets to the value of £250,000 or above since May 2010.

Lost Property

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Attorney-General whether the Law Officers' Departments have lost any (a) computers, (b) mobile telephones, (c) BlackBerrys and (d) other IT equipment since May 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Garnier: The information requested is contained in the following table.
	
		
			 IT equipment reported lost between May 2010 to September 2011 
			 Department Laptops Mobile phones BlackBerrys Other 
			 Serious Fraud Office 1 2 2 2 
			 Treasury Solicitor's Department 3 0 0 4 
			 Crown Prosecution Service 0 11 9 0 
			 HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate 0 0 0 0 
			 Attorney-General's Office 0 0 1 0

JUSTICE

Bail Accommodation and Support Service

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many people have been accommodated in Bail Accommodation and Support Service properties in England and Wales since the inception of the scheme;
	(2)  how many people have been accommodated in Llanelli constituency by the Bail Accommodation and Support Service since premises in Llanelli were first acquired;
	(3)  how many people from outside Llanelli constituency have been accommodated in Bail Accommodation and Support Service properties in Llanelli constituency in the latest period for which figures are available;
	(4)  how many residents in Bail Accommodation and Support Service properties have been removed due to breach of (a) bail, (b) home detention curfew and (c) tenancy conditions in (i) England and Wales and (ii) Llanelli constituency in the latest period for which figures are available.

Crispin Blunt: 8,558 people have been accommodated by the Bail Accommodation and Support Service between the start of the service on 18 June 2007 and 24 October 2011.
	23 people have been accommodated by the Bail Accommodation and Support Service in Llanelli constituency.
	Of the 23 people who have been accommodated in Llanelli, all were from the south Wales area but none listed their home town as Llanelli. The courts will sometimes require people to be located away from their home area and this is a reciprocal benefit. Seven people from Llanelli have been referred to the Bail Accommodation and Support Service, six were unsuccessful in their bail or HDC application and one was located to another town.

Civil Disorder

Meg Hillier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Prime Minister's oral statement of 11 August 2011, Official Report, column 1055, on public disorder, what meetings he and his Ministers have had with Home Office Ministers to assist in compiling the report to the House on gang culture.

Crispin Blunt: The Ministry of Justice is fully supportive of the cross-Government work to end gang violence. Ministers from the Ministry of Justice have attended all four of the inter-ministerial meetings which have assisted in compiling the final report. No other meetings between Ministry of Justice Ministers and Home Office Ministers have taken place on this subject.

Civil Disorder

Meg Hillier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Prime Minister's oral statement of 11 August 2011, Official Report, column 1055, on public disorder, what meetings his officials have had with the Home Office to assist in compiling the report to the House on gang culture.

Crispin Blunt: The Ministry of Justice is fully supportive of the cross-Government work to end gang violence. Officials from the Ministry of Justice have attended five officials’ group meetings, chaired by the Permanent Secretary at the Home Office, in support of the inter-ministerial group which has compiled the final report. A further two meetings have taken place between Ministry of Justice and Home Office officials regarding proposals included in the draft report which will have an impact on Ministry of Justice responsibilities.

Domestic Violence

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many women in prison are assessed as having been victims of domestic violence.

Crispin Blunt: This information is not held centrally.
	Previous studies have found up to half of women in prison have experienced abuse over the course of their lives, this includes sexual and physical abuse, including domestic violence.

Gangmasters Licensing Appeal Tribunal

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the functions are of the Gangmasters Licensing Authority appeals tribunal.

Jonathan Djanogly: The function of the Gangmasters Licensing Authority appeals tribunal is to hear appeals arising from decisions of the Gangmasters Licensing Authority made under the Gangmasters Licensing Act 2004, on decisions to revoke, refuse or modify a licence, or the refusal to consent to the transfer of a licence.

Gangmasters Licensing Appeal Tribunal

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the expected (a) budget and (b) staffing level will be for the Gangmasters Licensing Authority appeals tribunal in each year to 2014-15.

Jonathan Djanogly: In September 2011 responsibility for administering the Gangmasters Licensing Authority (GLA) Tribunal transferred to the Ministry of Justice. The budget for the tribunal now sits within Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) overall operating budget and it is difficult to identify separate resources precisely because they are shared across other parts of HMCTS operations. However, the anticipated running costs of the GLA tribunal cases are £50,000 per annum. The majority of the costs are those of the tribunal panel members. Staff resourcing is provided by HMCTS, and a dedicated administrator in support of the panel equating to one half of an administrative officer full-time post is assigned to GLA tribunal duties.

Legal Aid Scheme: Domestic Violence

Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent representations he has received from domestic violence groups on proposed reductions in the legal aid budget.

Kenneth Clarke: The Government's consultation on proposals for the reform of legal aid in England and Wales closed on 14 February 2011 and the response was published on 21 June 2011.
	We received a number of consultation responses from domestic violence groups as well as more recent representations. These have focused on the definition of the domestic violence used in the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill and the circumstances that would provide evidence of domestic violence in order to qualify someone for legal aid in a private family case.

Prisons: Death

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many deaths were recorded as unclassified in each prison in England and Wales in (a) 2009 and (b) 2010;
	(2)  what the causes were for each unclassified death that was recorded in prisons in England and Wales in (a) 2009 and (b) 2010.

Crispin Blunt: The actual cause of deaths in prison, whether suicide, natural, self-inflicted or murder, is determined at the inquest and may therefore be unknown for several years. This means that published numbers of deaths by apparent cause can change over time as inquests take place. In some cases the cause may never be clearly established.
	The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) system of classifying deaths has evolved to help place reliable numbers of deaths in prison custody in the public domain without undue delay. Where, on the information available, the cause of death is not apparent the NOMS records the death as unclassified.
	There are currently no unclassified deaths recorded for 2009. It has been possible following post mortem and other tests such as toxicology to classify all deaths in that year as either apparent self-inflicted, suspected natural causes, apparent homicide or other non-natural.
	For 2010, there are seven unclassified deaths recorded for which, on the information currently available, it is not possible to identify the apparent cause of death. The deaths took place at HMPs Bronzefield, Brixton (2), Holloway, Wealstun, Low Newton and Doncaster.

Work Capability Assessment: Appeals

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the cost to his Department was of appeals in respect of the work capability assessment in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11 and (c) 2011 to date.

Jonathan Djanogly: Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) hears appeals against Department for Work and Pensions decisions on entitlement to employment and support allowance (ESA) (decisions in which the work capability assessment is a key factor) rather than appeals against work capability assessment decisions themselves.
	The estimated total cost of ESA appeals in which the work capability assessment was a factor during 2009-10, 2010-11 and April to August 2011 (the latest period for which published data are available) is summarised in the following table:
	
		
			  Number of ESA appeals in which work capability assessment was a factor (1) Total cost (£ million) 
			 2009-10 68,239 19.243 
			 2010-11 166,464 39.785 
			 2011 (April to August) 79,966 19.112 
			 (1) The figures may not correspond with previously published data, because the extract from management information was taken at a later point in time. 
		
	
	For each period these estimated costs were calculated by multiplying the average cost of an individual First-tier Tribunal-Social Security and Child Support case by the number of ESA appeals disposed of, in which the work capability assessment was a factor.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Advertising: Job Vacancies

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department has spent on advertising job vacancies since May 2010.

Chris Grayling: From May 2010 the Department has spent £5,931 on advertising job vacancies.
	Supporting Information
	Since May 2010 the Department has commissioned 17 external recruitment exercises and 118 internal recruitment exercises.
	Only one of the external recruitment exercises incurred advertising costs due to the nature of the post, which was a specialist payroll management post that was advertised both nationally and locally. Due to the recruitment freeze across Government, formal approval was received from the Permanent Secretary to proceed with the advertising for this post.
	Internal recruitment exercises incur no advertising costs.
	The post in question was a Payroll Manager post, skills that we do not readily have in the Department or in the public sector more generally in the north-east. The post is based at Benton Park View, Newcastle in Employee Services within Shared Services. The costs were as follows:
	The Payroll Manager post was advertised twice:
	First run: £500 for Times Online and £4,273.92 in Evening Chronicle Jobs Supplement (Newcastle local press)
	Second run: CIPP magazine £1,158
	Total spend: £5,931.92
	The Department has comparative advertising costs for the preceding 12 months. In the 12 months ended 30 April 2010, there were 280 external recruitment exercises that were advertised online costing £18,723 and in hard-copy press and journals costing £216,782. Total advertising costs in that 12-month period were £235,505.

Lost Property

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether his Department has lost any (a) computers, (b) mobile telephones, (c) BlackBerrys and (d) other IT equipment since May 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Grayling: In accordance with guidance from HM Treasury, the Department maintains records of property that it owns, and which has been lost or stolen.
	The Department's IT equipment is leased from service providers and reports of losses to the Department do not differentiate between stolen, missing or lost equipment.
	Excluding lower value items, there were 97 reported losses of individual items of equipment, including laptop computers, mobile telephones and BlackBerry phone devices between 1 May 2010 and 30 September 2011.
	In all cases of theft the matter is fully investigated and appropriate action taken by the Department. Where the item concerned is not recovered, the police will be informed as a matter of routine.
	In case of loss, disciplinary action is taken where appropriate.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he receives any external funding for (a) his ministerial office and (b) his advisers; and what the (i) source and (ii) amount is of any such funding.

Chris Grayling: No external funding is received for the ministerial office of the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, my right hon. Friend the Member for Chingford and Woodford Green (Mr Duncan Smith), or for his advisers.

Departmental Responsibilities

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions at how many events organised by (a) charities, (b) other civil society groups, (c) businesses and (d) lobbying organisations Ministers and senior officials in his Department have given speeches in each month since May 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Grayling: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the written answer I gave him on 25 October 2011, Official Report, columns 139-140W.

Departmental Telephone Services

Stephen Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department has allocated to each telephone helpline funded by his Department in 2011-12; what the purpose is of each such helpline; and how many calls each helpline received in the last 12 months.

Chris Grayling: The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) operates several telephone helplines and service lines. It has not been possible to provide a detailed breakdown of funding for each service line, as many DWP people are to be multi skilled, either across several service lines and helplines or they perform both telephony and processing duties.
	The information provided is by business.
	Jobcentre Plus
	Jobcentre Plus operates 22 service lines. Figures for calls received are for the last 12 months unless otherwise stated:
	First contact—where members of the public contact us to make a new claim to benefit. Calls received 5,968,813;
	Crisis loans (for living expenses)—where claimants contact us to apply for a Crisis loan. Calls received 7,648,744;
	Employer Direct—where employers contact us to place a vacancy. Calls received 801,363;
	National insurance number (NINO) allocation—where people without a NINO can apply for one. Calls received 1,256,240;
	National benefit fraud hotline—where members of the public report claimants for suspected benefit fraud. Calls received 254,314;
	Tax evasion hotline—is operated by Jobcentre Plus on behalf of HMRC, members of the public report people for suspected tax evasion. Calls received 53,776;
	Local authority fraud—is operated by Jobcentre Plus on behalf of local authorities, members of the public report people for suspected housing benefit or council tax benefit fraud. Calls received 7,243;
	Jobseekers allowance (JSA) benefit enquiry line—JSA claimants can report a change of circumstances or make an enquiry about their claim. Calls received 12,161,938;
	Income support (IS) benefit enquiry line—IS claimants can report a change of circumstances or make an enquiry about their claim. Calls received 6,880,021;
	Incapacity benefit (IB) enquiry line—IB claimants can report a change of circumstances or make an enquiry about their claim. Calls received 1,706,724;
	IB reassessment—Dealing with claimants enquiring about IB reassessment. Calls received 187,352;
	Employment support allowance (ESA)—Benefit for working age claimants unable to work on grounds of incapacity. Calls received 1,654,844
	Employment support allowance (ESA) enquiry line—ESA claimants can report a change of circumstances or make an enquiry about their claim. Calls received 7,935,594;
	Maternity allowance—where members of the public contact us to make a new claim to maternity allowance. Calls received 262,821;
	Overseas vacancy team—where employers contact us to place a vacancy outside of the UK. Calls received 141;
	International jobsearch advice—is for members of the public who want information about working and living abroad. Calls received 431;
	Jobseeker direct—members of the public can call to look for jobs or obtain more information about a particular vacancy they have found. Calls received 3,600,086;
	Self service helpdesk—technical support for customers who are having difficulty making an application to benefit online. Calls received 4,394;
	UK Borders Agency Immigration Enquiry Bureau—Jobcentre Plus are currently running a proof of concept exercise in partnership with UKBA taking some of their calls dealing with enquiries from immigration and emigration. Calls received 136,745 (figures from February 2011 only);
	E-Business operational support team—technical support for employers who are having difficulty placing a vacancy online. Calls received 38,489;
	Small and medium business recruitment helpline—offers advice and support to small and medium-sized businesses and guides them through the recruitment process. Calls received 28,810;
	Social fund—enquiry line for customers relating to enquiries re social fund claims. Calls received 5,962,228.
	The overall budget for this year is £212.3 million and this is broken down into £197.8 million for staff costs and £14.5 million for non-staff costs. Agents who operate Jobcentre Plus service lines are multi skilled, which means that they answer calls across multiple service lines. This means that they are unable to provide a breakdown of funding per service line. They do not undertake any duties other than telephony.
	Shared Services
	Shared services are split into three areas, purchase to pay and payment resolution service, employee services and debt management.
	Purchase to pay and payment resolution service operates three service lines and helplines;
	Purchase to pay helpline—is for suppliers relating to queries around payments for goods and services. It also receives calls from Jobcentre Plus advisers and claimants seeking clarification on payments made to support people back to work. Calls received 131,675.
	This line is operated by approximately 13 staff and costs £290,000 per annum.
	Bank liaison section—is an internal helpline and receives calls from Pension Centre or Jobcentre Plus staff requesting that the bank liaison section recalls a payment from a bank account. Calls received 169,820.
	This line is operated by approximately five staff and costs £110,000 per annum.
	Third party payments helpline—is a helpline for third party creditors, for example utilities companies and local authorities, querying payments made to them following deductions made from benefits. Calls received 25,258.
	This line is operated by approximately 2.5 staff and costs £55,000 per annum.
	The Purchase to Pay and Payment Resolution Service estimated non-staff annual costs are £128,508. This means that overall this service will cost £583,508 this operational year.
	Employee Services operates three internal service lines and helplines for DWP employees to raise HR and payroll queries.
	Simple queries are answered at the first point of contact and funding of £1.510 million has been provided for this year. Calls received 235,570;
	More complex queries are handled by specialist caseworkers and funding of £169,000 has been provided for this year. 509 complex cases handled;
	An external recruitment helpline is operated for candidates applying for externally advertised posts. Due to the civil service recruitment freeze no funding has been provided for this activity for 2011/12. Calls received 624.
	Employee Services estimated non-staff annual costs are £299,520. This means that overall this service will cost £1,978,520 this operational year.
	Debt Management does not operate any helplines but has three service lines:
	Debt Recovery—is for customers to make enquiries about new or ongoing debt cases. Calls received 970,188;
	Debt Payment—debt customers are able to make direct payments through debit card transactions. Calls received 139,189;
	Recovery from Estates—is for enquiries regarding debt recovery from a deceased customer's estate. Calls received 61,346.
	Debt management's overall budget for this year is £6,902,967 and this is broken down into £6,121,755 for staff costs and £781,212 for non-staff costs.
	Pensions
	PDCS operates 15 helplines and service lines:
	State pension new claims—where members of the public contact us to claim their state pension. Calls received 994,805;
	Pension credit new claims—for customers who have an enquiry relating to pension credit. This includes checking entitlement, making a new claim or progressing a claim which they have already started. Calls received 1,016,810;
	State pension changes—for customers who are in receipt of their state pension and wish to inform PDCS of a change of circumstances. Calls received 2,361,965;
	Pension credit changes—for customers who are in receipt of their pension credit and wish to inform PDCS of a change of circumstances. Calls received 2,477,115;
	Bereavement service—for customers who are calling to report bereavement, this provides advice and support on how to cease benefits. Calls received 566,145;
	Future Pension Centre—for members of the public at working age who want a pension forecast. Calls received 672,742
	National Pension Centre—for customers who are in receipt of state pension and are above a certain age who wish to make a query about their claim or report a change of circumstances. Calls received 457,572
	International Pension Centre—for customers who are living abroad and are in receipt of state pension. Calls received 501,573
	Tell Us Once service—is undertaking a phased roll-out approach and allows customers who live within certain local authorities to give details of bereavement and this will notify all other affected authorities of the bereavement. Calls received 11,216;
	Winter fuel—for customers who have a query relating to winter fuel. This service is only available within the months of November to March. Calls received 363,605;
	Pension tracing service—for customers who have lost details of a Pension scheme which they were previously contributing to. Calls received 51,744;
	Method of payment reform service—for customers who receive their state pension or pension credit via cheque or giro cheque and need to change their payment method to direct payment to a bank account. Calls received 13,566;
	Method of payment social fund—for customers who receive their state pension or pension credit via cheque or giro cheque and need to change their payment method to direct payment to a bank account. Calls received 4,322;
	Overseas healthcare team—for customers making enquiries about healthcare abroad. This is includes applying for, renewing and make changes to a European Health Insurance Card. It is also an advice line for customers who are travelling abroad as well as a helpline for NHS and insurance workers. Calls received 124,093;
	Ventura [DLA] DCS claims—The DCS Claims line deal with customer requests for claim packs regarding disability living allowance and attendance allowance. Calls received 11,351
	Pensions budgets are calculated by Pension Centre rather than by function and staff perform both telephony and processing duties, which means that it is not possible to provide a breakdown by service line nor how much funding is given to their telephony services. Pensions have an overall budget of £155 million for this operational year.
	Disability and Carers Service
	Disability and Carers Service operates three service lines and have no helplines.
	Carers allowance—for customers who have caring responsibilities for a disabled person and deals with all enquiries, including new claims. Calls received 962,707.
	This service line has a budget of £3.5 million for this operational year and includes staff and non-staff costs.
	Disability living allowance/attendance allowance helpline—deals with all enquiries, including new claims, for disability living allowance and attendance allowance. Calls received 4,789,944.
	This service line has a budget of £8.7 million for this operational year and includes staff and non-staff costs.
	Benefit enquiry line (BEL)—is a helpline for people with disabilities, their carers and representatives, offering confidential advice and general information on all benefits and how to claim them. Calls received 700,816.
	This service line has a budget of £1.1 million for this operational year and includes staff and non-staff costs.

Employment and Support Allowance

Naomi Long: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of people with multiple sclerosis who will be affected by his proposal to introduce a time limit of one year for those claiming contributory employment and support allowance in the work-related activity group.

Chris Grayling: Estimates of the number of people affected by time limiting of contributory employment and support allowance (ESA) for those in the work related activity group to one year are based on national ESA caseload forecasts, which cannot be broken down by detailed medical condition. Therefore, the Department is unable to provide the information requested.
	The Department recently published an ad hoc analysis of incapacity benefits caseloads by detailed medical condition, type of payment and phase of claim. Medical condition is based on the International Classifications of Diseases (ICD10). This analysis was published on 20 July 2011 and can be accessed using the following link:
	http://statistics.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/adhoc_analysis/index.php?page=adhoc_analysis_2011_q3
	This shows that at November 2010 there were 1,320 ESA claimants in the work-related activity group where the primary condition was classed as multiple sclerosis. However, the time limit would only apply to those who claim contributory ESA in the work-related activity group for a year or more.

Employment Schemes

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what steps he is taking in respect of specialist Work programme providers who have not received any referrals;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the reasons why certain Tier 2 Work programme providers in London have not received any referrals;
	(3)  how many Tier 2 providers to the Work programme had not received a referral on the latest date for which information is available.

Chris Grayling: The referral arrangements between prime providers and their supply chain partners are commercial matters between the organisations concerned. We are aware that there have been fewer employment and support allowance (ESA) referrals to the Work programme in the first three months of operation. Measures have been adopted to remedy this, including those announced in the written ministerial statement on 21 October 2011, Official  Report, column 76WS, such as the information sessions being held by Work programme providers for ESA claimants with longer prognoses.
	DWP has implemented the Merlin Standard to encourage excellent supply chain management and fair treatment of sub-contractors by prime providers. Providers will be penalised for non-compliance with the standard.

Employment Schemes: Homelessness

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of specialist employment support to homeless people in London being provided by the Work programme.

Chris Grayling: We expect all Work programme providers to work closely with a range of specialist groups that can help support people into sustained employment. This includes engaging organisations that can help support those with specialist needs, such as homelessness. The Work programme launched nationally in June and has long-term goals and measures of success. A full independent evaluation has recently been commissioned.

Job-clubs

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department has spent on job clubs in each (a) region, (b) local authority and (c) parliamentary constituency since their introduction.

Chris Grayling: The information is not available in the format requested as we do not hold data at local authority or parliamentary constituency level. We have, however, been able to provide data by region and DWP district.
	
		
			 Expenditure on work clubs and enterprise clubs from their introduction, to September 2011 
			 £ 
			  Work clubs Enterprise clubs 
			 Central England 24,404 29,500 
			 Birmingham and Solihull 13,285 29,500 
			 Mercia 9,562 0 
			 Staffordshire and Shropshire 1,557 0 
			    
			 London and the Home Counties 74,969 0 
			 Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire 7,153 0 
			 East London 29,476 0 
			 Kent 5 0 
			 North London 29,866 0 
			 South London 5,304 0 
			 West London 3,165 0 
			    
			 North East England 25,889 9,972 
			 Durham and Tees Valley 8,209 0 
			 North East Yorkshire and Humberside 6,640 9,972 
			 South Yorkshire 11,040 0 
			    
			 North West England 78,018 1,080 
			 Cumbria and Lancashire 978 1,080 
			 Merseyside 49,336 0 
			 Manchester Central 10,379 0 
			 Manchester East and West 17,325 0 
			    
			 Scotland 21,236 0 
			 East Scotland 5,304 0 
			 Glasgow, Lanarkshire and East Dunbartonshire 6,281 0 
			 North of Scotland 6,679 0 
			 West of Scotland 2,972 0 
			    
			 Southern England 50,978 4,699 
			 Devon and Cornwall 29,230 4,699 
			 Hampshire and the Isle of Wight 990 0 
			 Thames Valley 14,007 0 
			 Wessex 3,767 0 
			 West of England and Gloucestershire 2,984 0 
			    
			 Wales 14,149 0 
			 North and Mid Wales 12,836 0 
			 South East Wales 1,313 0 
			 Notes: 1. Figures shown have been rounded to the nearest £1. 2. DWP districts with no expenditure on Work Clubs or Enterprise Clubs have not been shown. Source: DWP Resource Management accounting system.

Jobseeker’s Allowance: Appeals

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average cost to his Department was of a tribunal in respect of a claim for jobseeker's allowance in the latest year for which figures are available.

Chris Grayling: The Department does not hold data relating to the overall costs for tribunal hearings for jobseeker's allowance appeals. However, we are able to provide the average cost of the administrative steps involved in preparing a jobseeker’s allowance appeal by the Department; and the average cost of an appeal, i.e. in respect of all appeal types, for Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS).
	The average administration cost to the Department for jobseeker’s allowance appeals was £170. This figure covers 2010-11, which is the latest period covered by the annual report and accounts.
	The average cost to HMCTS of a completed appeal in the First-tier Tribunal, Social Security and Child Support chamber, was £282 using the most recent verified data (2009-10).

Child Maintenance: Bexley

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many non-resident parents resident in Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency have been subject to enforcement action for non-payment of child maintenance in each of the last five years.

Maria Miller: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to my hon. Friend with the information requested and I have seen the response.
	Letter from Noel Shanahan
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many non-resident parents resident in Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency have been subject to enforcement action for non-payment of child maintenance in each of the last five years.
	Where a non-resident parent fails to pay maintenance, there are a number of enforcement actions available. Money can be taken directly from a non-resident parent's earnings if the non-resident parent is employed, money can be taken directly from a non-resident parent's bank or building society account, or action can be taken through the courts.
	The most serious forms of enforcement are commitment to prison or disqualification from driving. The decision whether to implement, and the length of the order, is at the discretion of a Magistrates' Court (or Sheriff in Scotland) where they are satisfied that a non-resident parent has “wilfully refused or culpably neglected” to pay child maintenance—but this is not a criminal sanction.
	It is not possible provide the number of enforcement actions specifically for non-resident parents who have failed to pay maintenance for children residing in Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency.
	The total volume of enforcement actions carried out by the Child Support Agency is shown on page 23 of the June 2011 Quarterly Summary of Statistics (QSS), available at:
	http://www.childmaintenance.org/en/publications/stats0611.html
	and in the House of Commons library. This shows that in the twelve months to March 2011 63,060 new deduction from earnings orders were sent to employers to take money from a non-resident parent's earnings or pension, over 18,000 liability orders were granted, over 11,000 cases were referred to bailiffs and 1,050 non-resident parents received immediate or suspended committal sentences.
	I hope you find this answer helpful.

Organised Crime: Departmental Co-ordination

Meg Hillier: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Prime Minister's oral statement of 11 August 2011, Official Report, column 1055, on public disorder, what meetings he and his Ministers have had with Home Office Ministers to assist in compiling the report to the House on gang culture.

Chris Grayling: The following information shows DWP ministerial meetings with Home Office Ministers in compiling the report on gang culture.
	
		
			 Minister Meeting with Home Office Minister Date 
			 Secretary of State Inter Ministerial Group: Dealing with Gang Culture 15 August 2011 
			 Secretary of State Inter Ministerial Group: Dealing with Gang Culture 5 September 2011 
			 Secretary of State Inter Ministerial Group: Dealing with Gang Culture 29 September 2011 
			 Secretary of State Visit with Home Secretary 6 October 2011 
			 Secretary of State Inter Ministerial Group: Dealing with Gang Culture 12 October 2011 
			 Secretary of State International Forum on Gangs 13 October 2011 
		
	
	The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, my right hon. Friend the Member for Chingford and Woodford Green (Mr Duncan Smith), has also had a number of telephone conversations with the Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May).
	Officials from the Department for Work and Pensions were in frequent and regular contact with Home Office officials throughout this period to contribute recommendations to draft sections of the report and to organise conferences. Senior officials attended the regular meetings chaired by the Permanent Secretary of the Home Office.

Pensions: Public Sector

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many public sector employees in each pay quartile he expects to cease making contributions to their pension following planned increases in contribution rates.

Danny Alexander: holding answer 31 October 2011
	I have been asked to reply.
	The spending review 2010 announced progressive increases to the level of employee contributions equivalent to an average of 3.2 percentage points, to be phased in over three years from April 2012.
	As set out in my written ministerial statement of 19 July 2011, Official Report, columns 92-94WS, there will be no increase in employee contributions for those earning less that £15,000 and no more than a 1.5 percentage point increase in total by 2014-15 for those earning up to £21,000.
	The Government's assumption is that in total 1% of the pay-bill will opt out in the unfunded schemes as a result of the contribution increases. This has been scrutinized by the Office for Budget Responsibility. No assumption has been made about the distribution of opt-outs by pay quartile.

Remploy

Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many Remploy factories Ministers in his Department have visited in the last six months; and what representations they have received from Remploy employees on future business liability.

Maria Miller: I have visited both the Newcastle and Leven Remploy factories in the last six months. Also, as part of the Sayce consultation the Department held a series of six events where Remploy employees had an opportunity to directly contribute to the consultation in addition to written and online submissions. I attended the consultation event in Reading where I met and discussed the Sayce recommendations with employees. I have also held two briefing meetings for MPs.
	No direct representations have been received from Remploy employees on the future of the business, although we have consulted on the recommendations of the Sayce report and have received almost 1,400 responses, including responses from Remploy employees. We will take time to analyse the consultation responses in detail and carefully consider the implications for future policy. We will publish a summary of responses received and a statement on future policy as soon as practicably possible.

Remploy

Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what funding he provided to Remploy to improve its technology for the manufacture of life jackets in the last three years.

Maria Miller: In the three years to March 2011 the capital expenditure for the textile business was £125,000. I am unable to specify what funding has been provided for Remploy to improve its technology for the manufacture of life jackets in the last three years.
	The Department agrees the overall funding and performance targets each year with Remploy. The day- to-day running of the company and achievements of targets is the responsibility of the Remploy board and executive team.

Social Rented Housing: Employment

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of families living in social housing had no one in the household in employment in the latest period for which figures are available.

Steve Webb: We have restricted this analysis to working age households because the high proportion of pensioner households not in employment would otherwise risk distorting the overall answer.
	
		
			 Proportion of working age households in the social rented sector by employment status 
			 Employment status within household Percentage 
			 No working age adult in employment 49 
			 At least one working age adult in employment 51 
			 Notes: 1. The FRS is a nationally representative sample of approximately 25,000 UK private households. Data for 2009-10, the latest year available, were collected between April 2009 and March 2010. 2. The figures from the Family Resources Survey are based on a sample of households which have been adjusted for non-response using multi-purpose grossing factors which align the Family Resources Survey to Government office region population by age and sex. Estimates are subject to sampling error and remaining non-response error. 3. The ‘social rented sector' is defined as all cases where the local authority is the landlord, and all housing associations including New Town Development Corporations and the Scottish Special Housing Association, except where accommodation is part of the job. 4. A Household is defined as a single person or group of people living at the same address as their only or main residence, who either share one meal a day together or share the living accommodation (ie a living room). A household will consist of one of more benefit units (ie two single adults in a two-bed household would count as two benefit units, but only one household). 5. A benefit unit is defined as a single adult or a married or cohabiting couple and dependent children; from January 2006 same-sex partners (civil partners and cohabitees) are included in the same benefit unit. 6. For married or cohabiting couples, if either individual is classified as a pensioner, then the benefit unit is classified as a pensioner benefit unit and therefore excluded from this analysis. 7. Working age households are defined as households having at least one (possibly more) working age benefit units. 8. The employment status of adults has been defined using the Adult Employment Status—based on the ILO definition. Source: Family Resources Survey 2009/10

Third Sector

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much direct funding his Department has allocated to each civil society organisation in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12, (c) 2012-13, (d) 2013-14 and (e) 2014-15; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Grayling: The Department has allocated direct funding to civil society organisations as follows:
	
		
			 DWP's payments to civil society organisations 
			 £ million 
			 Description 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 
			 Direct payments to Motability (indicative) 1.1 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 
			 Payments made to credit unions (2012-13 onwards yet to be decided) 16.7 11.8 — — — 
			 Amounts paid to Community Development Fund 1.0 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 
			 Total payments 18.8 12.9 1.0 1.0 1.0 
		
	
	As Pensions Minister, my hon. Friend the Member for Thornbury and Yate (Steve Webb), advised the House on 24 October 2011, Official Report, columns 7-8, the Department is looking into how it can best continue to support credit unions to modernise and expand in the future, including funding for future years of the spending review.
	The Department contracts for many services and programmes and we do not keep records by type of organisation. Therefore, determining which of those are civil society organisations and how much we pay to each of them could be done only at disproportionate cost.

Work Capability Assessment

Anne Begg: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) work capability assessments, (b) work capability assessments for new employment and support allowance claimants and (c) work capability assessments for reassessed incapacity benefit claimants were carried out in each month since February 2011.

Chris Grayling: The information requested is as follows.
	(a) The Department regularly publishes official statistics on the number of work capability assessments (WCAs) completed for claimants in receipt of employment and support allowance (ESA). The latest report was published in October 2011 and can be found on the internet at the following link:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/workingage/index.php?page=esa_wca
	This publication does not include information on incapacity benefit (IB) reassessment (see section c for more detail). Therefore, statistics on the overall number of WCAs completed in each month since February are currently unavailable.
	(b) Tables 2 and 2a in the publication show monthly statistics on completed initial and repeat assessments for ESA claims from October 2008 up to May 2011 (the latest data available).
	The following table shows completed assessments since February 2011. This is a summary of Tables 2 and 2a in the publication. Figures are rounded to the nearest 100 and as a result may not sum to row totals.
	
		
			 Completed assessments by month of assessment 
			  Initial assessments Repeat assessments Total 
			 March 2011 45,100 20,400 65,500 
			 April 2011 31,700 15,000 46,600 
			 May 2011 35,700 17,600 53,400 
			 Notes: 1. Information relating to periods beyond May 2011 will be published on a quarterly basis as usual. 2. The data presented in the table come from benefit claims data held by the Department for Work and Pensions and functional assessment data from Atos Healthcare. 3. These figures do not include IB reassessment claims. 4. A small number of clerical assessments, where the result cannot be determined from DWP benefits data, are excluded from these figures. 
		
	
	(c) The reassessment of existing incapacity benefits customers using the Work Capability Assessment (WCA) was rolled out nationally from February 2011.
	Letters are being issued as planned to 11,000 claimants per week informing them that their reassessment is about to commence. To manage the process smoothly, volumes were gradually ramped up from the end of February, and the numbers reached 11,000 per week in May. As at the end of September 2011, approximately 128,000 WCAs have been completed for IB Reassessment claimants. After the WCA, the decision on entitlement to benefit is taken by a DWP Decision Maker.
	No official statistics are available on WCAs completed for IB Reassessment claimants so the information on the number of WCAs completed above is from the Department's management information system. It relates to those assessments where Atos have made a recommendation based on either a face-to-face assessment or cleared by scrutiny of the customer's medical questionnaire. It does not include those customers whose WCA recommendations were returned to Jobcentre Plus because they had not complied with the process.
	As it was never the intention to publish this management information, it has not been subject to the same rigorous quality assurance processes that are used for official statistics and as a result it should be used with a degree of caution. In addition, a monthly breakdown of the management information is not reliable because the data are captured by week. This means that for those weeks that cross over a month end the data cannot be attributed to any particular calendar month.
	Due to the overall length of the incapacity benefits reassessment process, information on the entire process including the final outcomes and subsequent destinations of claimants being reassessed is not yet available. Individual level data are being collected, but it will take time to complete because of the overall length of the reassessment process. The Department plans to publish data on the outcomes of the reassessment process but only once it has been quality assured and is considered robust.

Work Capability Assessment

Anne Begg: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether those awaiting the result of an appeal against a negative work capability assessment decision will be entitled to receive the assessment rate of employment and support allowance while they wait in (a) 2012-13, (b) 2013-14 and (c) future years.

Chris Grayling: We constantly review the benefit system to ensure that it is as efficient as possible. We are in the process of considering appeals—as a consequence of the provisions in the Welfare Reform Bill, including universal credit and the requirement to undertake a reconsideration before appealing. However, no decisions have yet been made.

Work Capability Assessment

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many work capability assessments for claimants in receipt of employment and support allowance were completed in each week from the beginning of February 2011 to date.

Chris Grayling: The Department regularly publishes official statistics on the number of work capability assessments (WCAs) completed for claimants in receipt of employment and support allowance (ESA). The latest report was published in October 2011 and can be found on the internet at the following link:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/workingage/index.php?page=esa_wca
	Tables 2 and 2a in the above publication show monthly statistics on completed initial and repeat assessments for ESA claims from October 2008 up to May 2011 (the latest data available).
	The following table shows completed assessments since February 2011. This is a summary of Tables 2 and 2a in the publication. Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred and as a result may not sum to row totals.
	
		
			 Completed assessments by month of assessment 
			  Initial assessments Repeat assessments Total 
			 March 2011 45,100 20,400 65,500 
			 April 2011 31,700 15,000 46,600 
			 May 2011 35,700 17,600 53,400 
			 Notes: 1. The data presented above come from benefit claims data held by the Department for Work and Pensions and functional assessment data from Atos Healthcare. 2. These figures do not include IB reassessment claims. 3. A small number of clerical assessments, where the result cannot be determined from DWP benefits data, are excluded from these figures. 
		
	
	Information relating to periods beyond May 2011 will be published on a quarterly basis as usual .

Work Programme

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how long he plans to prevent Work programme providers from making public their performance data;
	(2)  if he will lift the contractual ban on publication by Work programme providers of their performance data;
	(3)  what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the Cabinet Office's data transparency initiative on the publication of Work programme performance data.

Chris Grayling: There are no plans to allow Work programme providers to share their performance data ahead of the publication of official Work programme statistics, nor do we intend to change the contract clause that prevents providers from publishing their performance data. This is essential to ensure that the publication of official information is properly managed in line with the UK Statistics Authority legislation. Early publication of providers' own performance data could undermine the principle of making the information available to all at the same time through the official publication process and also impact on the accuracy of the data.
	The Work programme only started in June 2011, it lasts two years for each individual and, as providers only receive job outcome payments once a participant has been in employment and off benefit for up to 26 weeks, it will be 2012 before performance data start to be recorded. The intention is therefore to publish official statistics on referrals to the Work programme from spring 2012 and on job outcomes from autumn 2012.
	In line with the Government's transparency agenda, we have published providers' minimum service offers to all customers to ensure that customers are aware what they can expect, and that providers live up to what they have told us they will deliver.

HEALTH

Departmental Assets

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assets with a value of £250,000 or more his Department has bought since May 2010; for what purpose; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: The information requested is shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Department of Health (DH) non-current assets with a value greater than £250,000 purchased between 1 May 2010 and 31 March 2011 
			 Asset or capital programme description Asset purpose 
			 Richmond House: Building and electrical works Richmond House: Installation of fresh air supply and extract unit incorporating heat recovery, cooling and heating to the 2nd Floor. 
			 E-learning for Healthcare training module software Development and delivery of online content for the training of the NHS workforce across the United Kingdom 
			 DH Furniture Purchase of new desks for DH Buildings to enable re-cabling and the introduction of Ultra Thin Client Technology 
			 Richmond House: Building and electrical works Richmond House: Installation of fresh air supply and extract unit incorporating heat recovery, cooling and heating to the 1st floor and terrace. 
			 151 Buckingham Palace Road refurbishment 151 Buckingham Palace Road. Refurbishment for occupation by three DH arms length bodies (ALBs)—pre-construction and design. 
			 151 Buckingham Palace Road refurbishment—furniture Purchase of furniture for the 2nd floor of No.151 Buckingham Palace Road in preparation for occupation by three DH ALBs. 
			 Ambulance radio equipment and infrastructure Provision of a digital radio network and communication services for use by Ambulance Trusts. 
			 151 Buckingham Palace Road—refurbishment 151 Buckingham Palace Road refurbishment (internal finishes, fittings and furnishing, demolition). 
			 NHS Factsheets, internally generated software Development of software and infrastructure to support briefing to Ministers and key stakeholders in respect of the status and performance of NHS organisations. 
			 Financial Consolidation Project Development of software and infrastructure to support delivery of the Department's consolidated statutory accounts. 
			 Upgrade of Electronic Staff Records (ESR) system Upgrade of ESR infrastructure under DH contractual commitments. 
			 Upgrade of DH IT Infrastructure Standard Operating Environment Delivery of a major upgrade to the desktop tools and operating system to the Department's desktop and laptop computers. 
			 Electronic Staff Records (ESR) Pipeline Development Continuing development of the ESR solution, to ensure that it continues to be fit for purpose and up to date. 
		
	
	
		
			 151 Buckingham Palace Road refurbishment 151 Buckingham Palace Road refurbishment for occupation by three DH ALBs—final construction work. 
			 Richmond House—1st floor refurbishment Richmond House-1st Floor, redecoration and electrical work. 
			 National programme for IT—London (BT contract) NHS Connecting for Health programme, for the purpose of providing information services to the NHS in England. The expenditure on assets includes infrastructure (e.g. servers and data centres), software, licences and deployments(1) 
			 National programme for IT—north-east, north-west and east(CSC contract) (1)— 
			 National programme for IT—south (BT contract) (1)— 
			 GP systems of choice (1)— 
			 Offender Health—Prison IT (1)— 
			 Choose and Book (1)— 
			 Choose and Book Extension (1)— 
			 National Spine (1)— 
			 National Software Licences (1)— 
			 Quality Management and Analysis System (QMAS) (1)— 
			 NHS Mail (1)— 
			 Healthspace Extension (1)— 
			 Message Handling and ICM (1)— 
			 New General Medical Service (nGMS) Payments System Project (1)— 
			 National Health Applications and Infrastructure Services(NHAIS) Systems (1)— 
			 National Integration Centre and Assurance (NICA) (1)— 
			 NHS Gateway Capital Development (1)— 
			 (1) Indicates a brace

Lost Property

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department has lost any (a) computers, (b) mobile phones, (c) BlackBerrys and (d) other IT equipment since May 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: The Department has experienced losses or thefts in all the above categories since May 2010. No distinction is made between items lost or stolen.

Telephone Services

Stephen Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department has allocated to each telephone helpline funded by his Department in 2011-12; what the purpose is of each such helpline; and how many calls each helpline received in the last 12 months.

Simon Burns: The Department's Communication Directorate either runs or promotes the phone lines listed in the following chart. Information on the number of calls is not available in the requested format and to produce them would incur disproportionate cost. The chart shows call figures for the last complete year of operation.
	
		
			 Call centre Number of calls 2010-11 Budget 2011-12 () (£) (1) Purpose of line 
			 Carers Direct 24,014 1,200,000 Information, advice and support for carers 
			 Change4Life 14,460 200,000 Offers publications, advice and registration to the Change4Life programme 
			 Department of Health Order Line 92,107 (2)180,000 Publication order line 
			 Drink, Drugs and Sexual Health 393,356 1,000,000 Advice line for adults on drink, drugs and sexual health 
			 European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) 1,111,244 (2)1,090,000 Offers an ordering and replacement service as well as advice on the EHIC 
			 Healthy Start 441,753 (2)1,150,000 Supports the provision of milk and fruit and vegetable vouchers 
			 National Breastfeeding Helpline 34,502 150,000 Offers advice and support on breast feeding 
			 NHS Careers 27,627 880,000 Offers advice and publications for potential NHS careers recruits, returners and existing NHS staff 
			 Tobacco 79,047 1,370,000 Offers advice and support on smoking cessation 
		
	
	
		
			 Worth talking about 746,406 630,000 Sexual health advice for teenagers 
			 (1) All figures are rounded to the nearest £10,000. (2) Estimated budget (the budget for the call centre is part of a wider contract). Notes: 1. As it is not always possible to anticipate the demand for the services provided by the above call centres, final spend is often lower than the budget allowed. 2. The budget allowed may include some non-phone line costs such as staff training, data management and fulfilment. 3. The budget allowed will also include some non-voice help offered by the call centre such as text phone use, web chat, social network response handling and email handling. 4. The chart is based on call centres rather than individual phone lines. Most call centres run multiple phone numbers to allow for campaign measurement. 
		
	
	The Department does not collect information on the telephone numbers used by national health service organisations. Information about telephone services for these bodies is not held centrally and cannot be provided except at disproportionate cost.
	The Department also supports a range of voluntary, charitable and other organisations to provide services relating to health and healthy living. Some of these organisations may include telephone help lines as part of their services. It is not possible, without incurring disproportionate cost, to identify individual projects with telephone services and their budgets.

Patient Lists

Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate has been made of the levels of list inflation in (a) North London, (b) Devon and (c) the South West.

Simon Burns: Latest available estimates of list inflation held by the Department are contained in the following table at primary care trust (PCT) level only. It is the responsibility of PCTs and local general practitioner practices to ensure they maintain accurate patient registration details.
	
		
			 Patient list inflation 
			  PCT code PCT name Exeter as at March 2010 ONS estimate 2008 Actual difference between Exeter and ONS Cross border inflows Cross border outflows Difference between inflow and outflow Numbers of ghost patients to be accounted for 
			 North London 5AT Hillingdon PCT 264,985 258,100 6,885 15,999 24,736 -8,736 15,621 
			  5C1 Enfield PCT 296,505 289,000 7,505 11,938 29,168 -17,230 24,735 
			  5H1 Hammersmith and Fulham PCT 179,240 168,600 10,640 13,768 15,708 -1,940 12,580 
			  5HX Ealing PCT 353,051 312,100 40,951 43,624 28,055 15,569 25,382 
			  5HY Hounslow PCT 254,046 230,200 23,846 30,135 28,722 1,413 22,433 
			  5K5 Brent Teaching PCT 350,393 254,500 95,893 39,011 27,650 11,362 84,531 
			  5K6 Harrow PCT 234,054 225,400 8,654 19,660 35,804 -16,144 24,798 
			  5LA Kensington and Chelsea PCT 184,885 171,100 13,785 27,948 15,474 12,474 1,311 
			  5LC Westminster PCT 243,129 246,600 -3,471 32,362 31,156 1,206 -4,677 
			           
			 South West and including Devon PCT 5A3 South Gloucestershire PCT 252,550 260,400 -7,850 12,325 25,653 -13,328 5,478 
			  5F1 Plymouth Teaching PCT 268,838 255,600 13,238 6,971 491 6,480 6,758 
			  5FL Bath and North East Somerset PCT 194,122 177,400 16,722 11,691 3,330 8,361 8,361 
			  5K3 Swindon PCT 210,900 201,100 9,800 2,638 3,498 -860 10,660 
			  5M8 North Somerset PCT 205,710 207,000 -1,290 2,037 5,002 -2,965 1,675 
			  5QH Gloucestershire PCT 606,120 586,200 19,920 15,697 16,727 -1,030 20,950 
			  5QJ Bristol PCT 453,736 426,100 27,636 21,861 9,362 12,499 15,137 
			  5QK Wiltshire PCT 456,117 454,100 2,017 13,022 15,571 -2,549 4,566 
			  5QL Somerset PCT 534,284 524,200 10,084 9,055 15,449 -6,395 16,479 
			  5QM Dorset PCT 399,854 405,800 -5,946 20,522 41,103 -20,581 14,635 
			  5QN Bournemouth and Poole Teaching PCT 357,670 305,300 52,370 25,817 5,043 20,775 31,595 
		
	
	
		
			  5QP Cornwall and Isles of Scilly PCT 544,011 531,500 12,511 1,482 2,739 -1,257 13,768 
			  5QQ Devon PCT 755,505 746,800 8,705 6,372 18,696 -12,324 21,029 
			  TAL Torbay Care Trust 145,703 134,000 11,703 5,551 387 5,163 6,540 
			 Source: Data taken from Office for National Statistics (ONS) resident and Exeter 2010.Registered extracted populations

Learning Disability

John Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people of working age with a learning disability in each local authority area who are known to social services are in (a) paid full-time, (b) paid part-time, (c) unpaid full-time and (d) unpaid part-time work.

Paul Burstow: Data on the number of working age adults with a learning disability known to councils with adult social services responsibilities in employment is collected and published by the NHS Information Centre for health and social care via the National Adult Social Care Intelligence Service online analytical processing tool.
	Information for those working in unpaid employment split into part-time or full-time unpaid work is not collected centrally. The number of working age adults with a learning disability working in only unpaid work and those working in both paid and unpaid work have been provided in the following table.
	
		
			 Number of working age adults with a learning disability known to councils with adult social service responsibilities (1)  by employment status, during 2009-10 (2) —England 
			 Rounded numbers 
			 CASSR name Working as a paid employee or self-employed (30 or more hours per week) Working as a paid employee or self-employed (less than 30 hours per week) (3) Working as a paid employee or self-employed and in unpaid voluntary work (4) In unpaid voluntary work only 
			 Cumbria 10 55 0 55 
			 Northumberland 15 40 10 70 
			 Gateshead 0 25 0 25 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne 0 20 0 65 
			 North Tyneside 5 35 0 0 
			 South Tyneside 0 0 0 0 
			 Sunderland 0 30 5 55 
			 Hartlepool 0 55 10 20 
			 Middlesbrough 10 50 30 50 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 0 25 0 20 
			 Stockton-on-Tees 0 10 0 25 
			 Durham 0 55 10 105 
			 Darlington 0 15 5 15 
			 Barnsley 0 10 0 85 
			 Doncaster 5 45 35 40 
			 Rotherham 5 35 75 35 
			 Sheffield 10 30 65 60 
			 Bradford 0 80 25 70 
			 Calderdale 5 40 5 45 
			 Kirklees 50 35 0 85 
			 Leeds 10 80 0 15 
			 Wakefield 5 35 5 35 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 5 55 10 50 
			 Kingston upon Hull 0 0 0 10 
			 North East Lincolnshire 10 65 10 40 
			 North Lincolnshire 15 15 0 15 
			 North Yorkshire 10 55 5 225 
			 York 0 20 5 30 
			 Bolton 0 10 5 50 
			 Bury 5 30 0 45 
			 Manchester 15 60 15 75 
			 Oldham 15 40 . 5 35 
			 Rochdale 0 10 0 0 
			 Salford 5 35 0 10 
			 Stockport 5 80 10 25 
			 Tameside 15 45 40 550 
		
	
	
		
			 Trafford 0 30 0 5 
			 Wigan 0 30 5 65 
			 Knowsley 0 10 0 25 
			 Liverpool 115 25 0 50 
			 Sefton 0 30 10 60 
			 St. Helens 0 20 0 25 
			 Wirral 5 45 10 60 
			 Halton 0 35 15 65 
			 Warrington 5 20 5 100 
			 Lancashire 5 120 15 215 
			 Blackburn with Darwen 0 5 0 10 
			 Blackpool 0 20 0 15 
			 Cheshire East 20 20 0 0 
			 Cheshire West and Chester 15 50 0 30 
			 Warwickshire 5 55 10 60 
			 Birmingham 10 55 0 150 
			 Coventry 0 35 5 5 
			 Dudley 5 30 10 80 
			 Sandwell 15 5 0 10 
			 Solihull 0 15 5 35 
			 Walsall 0 5 0 0 
			 Wolverhampton 0 15 0 10 
			 Staffordshire 5 95 15 140 
			 Stoke-on-Trent 10 35 25 80 
			 Herefordshire l5 45 5 45 
			 Worcestershire 10 65 10 125 
			 Shropshire 10 55 10 155 
			 Telford and the Wrekin 0 15 0 15 
			 Lincolnshire 0 90 5 80 
			 Northamptonshire 55 45 0 0 
			 Derbyshire 5 45 10 120 
			 Derby 0 30 5 0 
			 Leicestershire 10 45 25 150 
			 Leicester 0 105 30 35 
			 Rutland 0 25 0 5 
			 Nottinghamshire. 60 120 0 90 
			 Nottingham 5 5 0 10 
			 Hertfordshire 25 115 5 55 
			 Norfolk 40 120 70 105 
			 Oxfordshire 5 115 25 80 
			 Suffolk 10 60 0 105 
			 Luton 5 20 0 35 
			 Buckinghamshire 20 100 (5)— (5)— 
			 Milton Keynes 5 55 20 15 
			 Bracknell Forest 0 40 15 10 
			 West Berkshire 5 25 10 145 
			 Reading 5 25 5 65 
			 Slough 5 20 0 15 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead 5 35 15 45 
			 Wokingham 0 90 0 20 
			 Essex 5 210 5 15 
			 Southend-on-Sea 0 55 25 5 
			 Thurrock 0 15 0 20 
			 Cambridgeshire 10 100 0 95 
			 Peterborough 25 50 10 55 
			 Bedford 0 15 5 35 
			 Central Bedfordshire 5 20 0 25 
			 Camden 10 30 15 35 
			 Greenwich 0 30 5 40 
			 Hackney 5 25 0 15 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 10 20 0 20 
		
	
	
		
			 Islington 5 25 0 5 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 0 25 20 230 
			 Lambeth 5 25 0 70 
			 Lewisham 0 45 5 30 
			 Southwark 20 120 5 70 
			 Tower Hamlets 0 20 0 5 
			 Wandsworth 0 35 0 30 
			 Westminster 0 40 5 10 
			 City of London 0 0 0 5 
			 Barking and Dagenham 0 15 0 0 
			 Barnet 10 70 15 35 
			 Bexley 5 90 0 0 
			 Brent 0 35 0 15 
			 Bromley 15 135 5 20 
			 Croydon 15 65 5 70 
			 Ealing 15 85 0 55 
			 Enfield 15 75 30 40 
			 Haringey 10 20 0 25 
			 Harrow 5 60 5 40 
			 Havering 0 25 0 10 
			 Hillingdon 0 0 0 30 
			 Hounslow 10 25 0 15 
			 Kingston upon Thames 15 20 5 35 
			 Merton 10 25 0 30 
			 Newham 0 25 0 20 
			 Redbridge 0 20 60 25 
			 Richmond upon Thames 5 40 5 5 
			 Sutton 0 30 5 20 
			 Waltham Forest 0 90 0 15 
			 Isle of Wight 15 55 0 45 
			 Surrey 55 255 10 160 
			 West Sussex 0 280 0 295 
			 Dorset 5 40 5 95 
			 Bournemouth 25 35 0 20 
			 Poole 5 20 0 25 
			 Hampshire 60 285 0 150 
			 Portsmouth 5 30 0 0 
			 Southampton 0 30 0 0 
			 East Sussex 0 60 10 90 
			 Brighton and Hove 30 75 10 105 
			 Wiltshire (5)— (5)— (5)— (5)— 
			 Swindon 0 15 0 15 
			 Kent 25 175 o. 100 
			 Medway Towns 0 10 0 35 
			 Cornwall 10 45 5 150 
			 Gloucestershire 40 120 15 155 
			 Somerset 0 45 10 65 
			 Isles of Scilly 0 0 0 0 
			 Bath and North East Somerset 5 15 0 30 
			 Bristol 5 55 0 40 
			 North Somerset 0 35 10 50 
			 South Gloucestershire 10 30 o 15 
			 Devon 5 75 0 0 
			 Plymouth 5 30 10 65 
		
	
	
		
			 Torbay 0 15 0 25 
			 (1) The information provided is derived from data collected annually on social services Adult Social Care-Combined Activity Return (ASC-CAR) from councils with adult social services responsibilities (CASSRs). (2) The information provided is the employment status of the service user at the time of their latest assessment or review and covers the period 1 April 2009 to 31 March 2010. (3) This column includes clients who work regularly as a paid employee or are self-employed but who work less than weekly. (4) Clients counted in this column should also appear in one of the first two columns, according to the number of hours they work per week. (5) Data are not available. Source: ASC-CAR Table L1

Learning Disability: Finance

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been spent on adult learning disability services in each local authority area since 2000.

Paul Burstow: Data on local authority expenditure on state funded care are collected and published by the NHS Information Centre for health and social care via the National Adult Social Care Intelligence Service online analytical processing tool.
	A table has been placed in the Library that shows the gross current expenditure by councils with adult social services responsibilities on adults aged 18 to 64 with learning disabilities as their primary client group between 2000-01 and 2009-10.

Learning Disability: Social Services

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of people with a learning disability who are partially purchasing their own care packages.

Paul Burstow: Data on the number of people with a learning disability who are partially purchasing their own care packages are not collected centrally.
	However, the number who meet the entire cost of their own services where the assessment and care management is done at the expense of the Council with Adult Social Services Responsibilities (CASSR) and the number of adults receiving services that are funded fully or in part by CASSRs is collected and published by the NHS Information Centre for health and social care via the National Adult Social Care Intelligence Service online analytical processing tool.
	The following table shows the number of adults with a learning disability who are receiving services funded fully or in part by CASSRs during 2009-10, by age group.
	
		
			 Rounded numbers 
			 England All ages Adults aged 18-64 Adults aged 65 and over 
			 Barking and Dagenham 430 400 35 
			 Barnet 825 745 80 
			 Barnsley 595 540 55 
			 Bath and North East Somerset 420 385 35 
			 Bedford 475 435 40 
			 Bexley 415 375 40 
			 Birmingham 3,490 3,215 275 
			 Blackburn with Darwen 370 320 50 
			 Blackpool 465 420 45 
			 Bolton 665 605 60 
			 Bournemouth 510 455 55 
			 Bracknell Forest 315 285 35 
			 Bradford 1,855 1,700 155 
			 Brent 610 575 35 
			 Brighton and Hove 800 720 80 
			 Bristol 1,165 970 195 
			 Bromley 955 850 105 
			 Buckinghamshire 1,310 1,240 70 
			 Bury 465 415 45 
			 Calderdale 660 620 45 
			 Cambridgeshire 1,550 1,435 110 
			 Camden 425 385 40 
			 Central Bedfordshire 495 460 35 
			 Cheshire East 965 855 105 
			 Cheshire West and Chester 910 855 55 
			 City of London 15 15 0 
			 Cornwall 2,365 2,160 205 
			 Coventry 780 755 25 
			 Croydon 965 905 60 
			 Cumbria 1,420 1,255 165 
			 Darlington 315 265 50 
			 Derby 610 520 90 
			 Derbyshire 1,895 1,690 205 
			 Devon 2,140 1,815 325 
			 Doncaster 825 725 100 
			 Dorset 905 840 70 
			 Dudley 945 850 95 
			 Durham 1,895 1,730 165 
			 Ealing 710 655 55 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 895 770 125 
			 East Sussex 1,485 1,310 175 
			 Enfield 830 750 80 
			 Essex 3,830 3,450 385 
			 Gateshead 480 420 55 
			 Gloucestershire 1,940 1,760 180 
			 Greenwich 570 550 20 
			 Hackney 615 580 35 
			 Halton 380 350 30 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 370 310 60 
			 Hampshire 3,220 3,030 190 
		
	
	
		
			 Haringey 615 570 45 
			 Harrow 485 445 45 
			 Hartlepool 325 290 35 
			 Havering 430 400 30 
			 Herefordshire 545 480 65 
			 Hertfordshire 3,025 2,735 290 
			 Hillingdon 485 455 30 
			 Hounslow 560 510 45 
			 Isle of Wight 455 410 45 
			 Isles of Scilly 0 0 0 
			 Islington 490 445 50 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 305 265 40 
			 Kent 3,850 3,545 305 
			 Kingston upon Hull 565 500 65 
			 Kingston upon Thames 335 300 40 
			 Kirklees 1,185 1,085 100 
			 Knowsley 630 595 35 
			 Lambeth 730 690 40 
			 Lancashire 3,475 3,140 335 
			 Leeds 1,790 1,595 195 
			 Leicester 960 870 90 
			 Leicestershire 1,390 1,255 140 
			 Lewisham 625 575 50 
			 Lincolnshire 1,810 1,640 170 
			 Liverpool 1,780 1,575 200 
			 Luton 515 490 25 
			 Manchester 1,680 1,540 135 
			 Medway Towns 640 580 55 
			 Merton 395 370 20 
			 Middlesbrough 625 570 55 
			 Milton Keynes 490 470 25 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne 845 770 75 
			 Newham 680 630 45 
			 Norfolk 2,270 2,015 255 
			 North East Lincolnshire 475 425 50 
			 North Lincolnshire 400 370 30 
			 North Somerset 510 410 95 
			 North Tyneside 480 445 30 
			 North Yorkshire' 1,580 1,420 160 
			 Northamptonshire 1,535 1,385 150 
			 Northumberland 1,390 1,220 170 
			 Nottingham 720 655 65 
			 Nottinghamshire 2,330 2,180 150 
			 Oldham 640 570 70 
			 Oxfordshire 1,420 1,250 170 
			 Peterborough 495 470 25 
			 Plymouth 945 895 50 
			 Poole 450 435 15 
			 Portsmouth 520 475 40 
			 Reading 465 420 45 
			 Redbridge 595 545 50 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 475 450 25 
			 Richmond upon Thames 370 325 40 
			 Rochdale 655 595 60 
			 Rotherham 750 685 65 
			 Rutland 80 65 15 
			 Salford 710 615 95 
			 Sandwell 765 660 105 
			 Sefton 820 730 90 
		
	
	
		
			 Sheffield 1,425 1,280 145 
			 Shropshire 865 790 70 
			 Slough 340 320 15 
			 Solihull 545 490 55 
			 Somerset 1,665 1,525 140 
			 South Gloucestershire 945 765 180 
			 South Tyneside 545 485 60 
			 Southampton 680 615 65 
			 Southend-on-Sea 620 555 65 
			 Southwark 530 485 45 
			 St Helens 355 325 30 
			 Staffordshire 1,925 1,755 170 
			 Stockport 775 720 55 
			 Stockton-on-Tees 505 500 10 
			 Stoke-on-Trent 790 695 95 
			 Suffolk 1,615 1,430 190 
			 Sunderland 750 705 45 
			 Surrey (1)— 2,530 (1)— 
			 Sutton 690 610 85 
			 Swindon 605 545 60 
			 Tameside 745 690 55 
			 Telford and the Wrekin 425 400 25 
			 Thurrock 270 240 25 
			 Torbay 420 365 55 
			 Tower Hamlets 625 570 55 
			 Trafford 540 490 50 
			 Wakefield 880 790 90 
			 Walsall 720 625 95 
			 Waltham Forest 560 515 45 
			 Wandsworth 730 645 85 
			 Warrington 475 430 45 
			 Warwickshire 1,065 950 115 
			 West Berkshire 390 365 30 
			 West Sussex 2,025 1,905 120 
			 Westminster 550 490 55 
			 Wigan 865 765 95 
			 Wiltshire 1,105 990 115 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead 370 350 20 
			 Wirral 895 810 85 
			 Wokingham 425 405 25 
			 Wolverhampton 585 525 60 
			 Worcestershire 1,550 1,450 100 
			 York 490 445 50 
			 (1 )Data not available. Notes: 1. The information provided is derived from data collected annually on the social services Referrals, Assessment and Packages of Care (RAP) Return from Councils with Adult Social Services Responsibilities (CASSRs). 2. The information provided includes all clients whose Primary Client Type is “Learning Disabilities”. In some councils each client has an overarching client classification, but may receive a different classification for a specific assessment, in these circumstances the overarching client type is used for the data collection. Data are not collected centrally for secondary classifications, thus clients with learning disabilities as a secondary classification will not be included in these figures. Source: RAP P1

Passive Smoking: Children

Tony Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to evaluate the effectiveness in changing behaviour of his national strategy to raise awareness amongst parents of the dangers of smoking around children in family cars.

Caroline Nokes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to evaluate the effectiveness in changing behaviour of his national strategy to raise awareness amongst parents of the dangers of smoking around children in family cars.

Anne Milton: As set out in the Tobacco Control Plan for England, the Department will launch a marketing campaign to remind smokers of the harms of second-hand smoke and to encourage them to make their homes and cars smokefree. This campaign is in the early stages of development and is expected to launch in March 2012.
	The tobacco marketing strategy, to be published shortly, will set out further details of how we will support efforts by local areas to encourage smokefree homes and cars ahead of the smokefree campaign. As with all Government communication and marketing campaigns, plans will be developed to evaluate its impact.

Primary Care Trusts

Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects to publish the results of his Department's study on standardising primary care support services.

Simon Burns: There is no departmental study on standardising primary care support services.
	However, subject to the passage of legislation, the commissioning of primary care services will be the responsibility of the NHS Commissioning Board from April 2013 and, as such, work is on-going to develop options on how the related functions could be discharged.
	One aspect of this work is the development of proposals for the discharge of primary care support functions. It is the intention to publish the outcomes of the development work in due course.

Primary Care Trusts: South-west England

Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what visits South West Strategic Health Authority staff have made to primary care support service offices in (a) Exeter and (b) the south-west for the purposes of assessing the quality and efficiency of their work.

Simon Burns: This is a matter for the national health service locally. However, the South of England Strategic Health Authority (SHA) (formerly know as South West SHA) has advised that none of its staff have visited primary care support service offices to assess the quality and efficiency of their work as this is already managed and assessed by primary care trusts locally, which will already have the necessary information and assurance.
	While the SHA has facilitated regional discussions, all decisions will be made locally by primary care trust boards.

Primary Care Trusts: South-west England

Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what communication there has been between the commercial department of his Department and primary care trusts in the south-west on the bid by NHS Shared Business Service to operate primary care support services; and if he will publish it;
	(2)  what role (a) his Department, (b) strategic health authorities and (c) primary care trust boards will have in taking the final decisions on the contract for primary care support services in the south-west;
	(3)  what representations he has received from GPs and other primary care professionals on the future of primary care support services in the south-west;
	(4)  what assessment he has made of the performance of NHS Shared Business Services in supporting NHS primary care;
	(5)  what assessment he has made of the bid from NHS Shared Business Services to operate primary care support services in the South West strategic health authority region;
	(6)  what assessment he has made of the performance of in-house primary care support services in the South West strategic health authority region;
	(7)  what comparative assessment he has made of the performance of Devon primary care support services relative to other such services in England;
	(8)  what account has been taken of potential redundancy costs in considering the bid by NHS Shared Business Services to operate primary care support services in the south-west;
	(9)  how many jobs would be transferred to India under the proposal by NHS Shared Business Services to operate primary care support services in the south-west;
	(10)  what consideration he gives to potential economic and social effects of job losses and outsourcing when considering the cost-benefit analysis of contracting primary care support services;
	(11)  which body would be responsible for providing the services provided by the existing primary care support services in the south-west which are not included in the draft contract with NHS Shared Business Services.

Simon Burns: The Department has not undertaken a separate assessment of the performance of in-house primary care support services in the South West strategic health authority (SHA) region.
	A letter was issued from the commercial director of the Department of Health to commissioners in Wiltshire primary care trust (PCT), Bristol PCT, Gloucestershire PCT, Devon PCT, Somerset PCT, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly PCT and Dorset PCT. A copy of the letter has been placed in the Library and is available on the Department's website at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Lettersandcirculars/Dearcolleagueletters/DH_102394
	In addition, a letter was issued from the commercial director to Jeff James, chief executive of NHS Wiltshire, on 3 August 2011 and a copy of the letter has been placed in the Library.
	SHAs are required to submit contracts for primary care support services in the south-west for approval by the Department where there is a capital expenditure in excess of £35 million. Equivalent arrangements between PCTs and SHAs will be for local determination.
	A search of the Department's ministerial correspondence database has identified one item of correspondence from general practitioners and other primary care professionals received since 1 January 2011 about the future of primary care support services in the south-west. This figure represents correspondence received by the Department's central correspondence team.
	A separate assessment has not been carried out by the Department on the performance of NHS Shared Business Services (SBS) in supporting national health service primary care. However, as shareholder in NHS SBS the Department requires NHS SBS to undertake annual benchmarking of performance to all NHS customers.
	The Department has not undertaken a separate assessment of the bid from NHS SBS to operate primary care support services in the South West SHA region.
	The Department has not undertaken a separate assessment of the performance of in-house primary care support services in the South West SHA authority region.
	Information on potential redundancy costs in considering the bid by NHS SBS to operate primary care support services in the south-west is not held centrally.
	Information on the number of jobs that may be transferred to India under the proposal by NHS SBS to operate primary care support services in the south-west is not held centrally.
	The Department has not done a cost-benefit analysis of contracting primary care support services, because local NHS organisations are responsible for decisions on the arrangements for these services.
	It is the responsibility of local NHS organisations in the south-west to determine which local bodies are responsible for the delivery of support services.

South West Strategic Health Authority: India

Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent visits staff of the South West Strategic Health Authority have made to India; and what the purpose was of each visit.

Simon Burns: We have been advised by the South West Strategic Health Authority (SHA) that Bill Shields, Director of Finance for South West SHA, visited the NHS Shared Business Services (SBS) offshore operations in India for the period 6 to 9 April 2010. The visit was an opportunity to gain assurance around NHS SBS offshore security and data handling arrangements. The SHA has further advised that the cost of the trip was borne by SBS. We understand that the above information is already in the public domain.

Surgery: Tees Valley

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many planned operations have been cancelled by hospitals in Teesside in the last 12 months.

Simon Burns: Information is not centrally held in the format requested. Data on the number of elective operations cancelled at the last minute for non-clinical reasons between quarter two, 2010-11 and quarter one, 2011-12 for acute national health service trusts in Teesside are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  2010-11 2011-12 
			 Organisation name Quarter 2 Quarter 3 Quarter 4 Quarter 1 
			 South Tees Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 114 139 130 104 
			 North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust 46 45 45 31 
			 Source: Department of Health dataset QMCO

Waiting Lists: Ashton-under-Lyne

David Heyes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people waited over six months for NHS treatment in Ashton-under-Lyne constituency in each year since 1997.

Simon Burns: Information on the number of patients waiting over six months for in-patient admission at the primary care trusts (PCTs) and heath authorities (HAs) covering the Ashton-under-Lyne constituency from March 1997 to March 2010 is shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Number of patients still waiting over six months at month end 
			 As at March each year Oldham PCT Tameside and Glossop PCT West Pennine HA 
			 1997 — — 3,490 
			 1998 — — 3,829 
			 1999 — — 2,348 
			 2000 — — 2,236 
			 2001 — — 1,939 
			 2002 — — 1,940 
			 2003 801 763 — 
			 2004 398 177 — 
			 2005 193 45 — 
			 2006 0 0 — 
			 2007 0 0 — 
			 2008 0 0 — 
			 2009 0 0 — 
			 2010 0 1 — 
			 Notes: 1. Since 2006, figures reflect number of patients waiting over 26 weeks. 2. Data on in-patient waiting lists not collected after March 2010. 3. Due to boundary changes in 2006 West Pennine HA became Oldham PCT and Tameside and Glossop PCT Source: Department of Health KH07, monthly monitoring return. 
		
	
	Information on the number of patients waiting over six months for first out-patient appointment following general practitioner referral at the PCTs and HAs covering the Ashton-under-Lyne constituency from March 1997 to March 2010 is shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Number of patients still waiting over 26 weeks at month end 
			 Month ending Oldham PCT Tameside and Glossop PCT West Pennine HA 
			 June 1997 — — 600 
			 March 1998 — — 1,101 
			 March 1999 — — 2,749 
			 March 2000 — — 1,133 
			 March 2001 — — 449 
			 March 2002 — — 0 
			 March 2003 0 0 — 
			 March 2004 0 0 — 
			 March 2005 0 0 — 
			 March 2006 0 0 — 
			 March 2007 n/a n/a — 
			 March 2008 n/a n/a — 
		
	
	
		
			 March 2009 n/a n/a — 
			 March 2010 n/a n/a — 
			 Notes: 1. Data on out-patient waiting lists not collected after March 2010. 2. Number waiting over 26 weeks not available after March 2006. Source: Department of Health QM08 
		
	
	In addition, since 2007, waiting times on a referral to treatment (RTT) basis have been published. Information on the number of patients who waited over 26 weeks on an admitted RTT pathway at PCTs and HAs covering the Ashton-under-Lyne constituency in each year between 2008 and 2011 is shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Number of admitted patients who waited 26 weeks or more from RTT 
			 Financial year Oldham PCT Tameside and Glossop PCT 
			 2008-09 1,204 1,200 
			 2009-10 1,034 942 
			 2010-11 1,696 1,224 
			 Note: Data shown for whole financial year. Source: Department of Health RTT return 
		
	
	Information on the number of patients who waited over 26 weeks on a non-admitted RTT pathway at PCTs and HAs covering the Ashton-under-Lyne constituency in each year between 2008 and 2011 is shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Number of non-admitted patients who waited 26 weeks or more from RTT 
			 Financial year Oldham PCT Tameside and Glossop  PCT 
			 2008-09 2,336 3,712 
			 2009-10 960 2,090 
			 2010-11 1,292 2,254 
			 Note: Data shown for whole financial year. Source: Department of Health RTT return

Written Questions: Government Responses

Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects to reply to the letter of 30 September 2011 from the right hon. Member for Exeter on the future of primary care support services in Devon.

Simon Burns: A reply was issued to the right hon. Gentleman on 25 October 2011.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Arts: Finance

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of an arm's length approach to Arts Council England's funding; and what steps he has taken to ensure value for money in the funding of arts organisations since May 2010.

Edward Vaizey: The Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), and I reviewed the work of Arts Council England (ACE) at the time of the spending review, and as part of our review of the Department's arm's length bodies. We remain committed to an arm's length approach to ACE's funding. We will be publishing the findings from that review shortly as part of the triennial review of ACE.
	The Management Statement and Financial Memorandum produced by the Department sets out a clear responsibility for ACE to ensure best value for money. The Department participates fully in Parliament's scrutiny of ACE's responsibility. The National Audit Office has access to ACE's books and records for the purposes of examining the economy, efficiency and effectiveness with which ACE has used its resources; and ACE's Accounting Officer gives evidence when summoned to appear before the Public Accounts Committee on the use and stewardship of public funds by ACE.

Culture

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many (a) theatres, (b) museums, (c) art galleries and (d) national heritage sites there are in each region of England.

Edward Vaizey: Information on the number of regional theatres, museums and galleries (combined) and heritage sites in England in 2008 can be found on the Department's website:
	http://www.culture.gov.uk/images/research/PhysicalAssets.xls
	More recent data will be published at end of this year, and copies will be deposited in the House Libraries.

Culture

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many people are employed in (a) theatres, (b) museums, (c) art galleries and (d) national heritage sites in each of the regions of England.

Edward Vaizey: Information on the number of employees in museums, heritage and creative industries in each of the regions of England, up to 2009 can be found on the Department's website:
	http://www.culture.gov.uk/images/research/CASEEconomicPerformanceData_3.xls
	Art galleries and theatres are included in creative industries.

Lost Property

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport whether his Department has lost any (a) computers, (b) mobile phones, (c) BlackBerrys and (d) other IT equipment since May 2010; and if he will make a statement.

John Penrose: Since May 2010, two memory sticks, three BlackBerrys and one mobile phone have been lost.
	If a mobile phone or BlackBerry device is lost or stolen, staff are required to report it immediately so that it can be disabled remotely. Staff can use only Department-issued encrypted memory sticks to carry departmental information.

Design: Procurement

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what steps he is taking to reduce administrative burdens for design companies competing for public sector contracts.

John Penrose: While the process of bidding for public sector contracts will involve some administrative costs for both the public sector organisation and potential bidders, a number of new initiatives have been put in place. Firstly, all public sector opportunities can be found in one central place, Contracts Finder, which went live in January 2011. Also the Department has removed the need to undertake lengthy pre-qualification questionnaires for projects under £100,000, which has shortened the procurement process, thus reducing the administrative and cost burden incurred by the supplier.
	The public sector as a whole is also looking to shorten the time taken to conduct Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) tenders, with a number of measures being considered at present to make the procurement process more effective and efficient. One of these is to conduct earlier market engagement before the procurement process even starts in order to help shape actual requirements, which lead to better drafted statement of requirements, that are outcome based, thus providing a clearer idea to suppliers about what is actually required.

CABINET OFFICE

Consultants

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many full-time equivalent staff are employed on consultancy contracts in his Department; and if he will make a statement.

Francis Maude: holding answer 31 October 2011
	The Cabinet Office collates and publishes statistical work force management information, including data on full-time equivalent staff employed on consultancy contracts at:
	http://data.gov.uk/dataset/cabinet-office-payroll-costs-non-consolidated-pay
	As at 30 September 2011, 1.25 full-time equivalent staff were employed on consultancy contracts in the Cabinet Office.

Security

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what company or Government service is used to undertake security vetting at (a) counter terrorist check, (b) security check and (c) developed vetting level in his Department.

Francis Maude: The Cabinet Office employs FCO Services (a trading fund within the Foreign and Commonwealth Office) to undertake the field inquiries and the processing of all its national security vetting work.

PRIME MINISTER

Repatriation

Frank Field: To ask the Prime Minister which powers he plans to repatriate from the EU to the UK Parliament by 2015.

David Cameron: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave on The Andrew Marr Show on 30 October 2011. A transcript of the interview can be found on the BBC website:
	http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/andrew_marr_show/9627898.stm

UK Trade with EU: India

Ian Davidson: To ask the Prime Minister which companies were represented on the UK trade delegation which he led to India in July 2010.

David Cameron: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Angus (Mr Weir) on 13 September 2010, Official Report, column 739W.

DEFENCE

Armed Forces: Deployment

Frank Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many members of the armed forces have been deployed in each military action in which the UK has been involved in each of the last 10 years.

Peter Luff: The term ‘military action' has been understood as combat operations for the purpose of answering this question. UK armed forces have contributed to other activities around the world including humanitarian relief; non-combatant evacuation operations; and peace support under either national tasking or UN auspices.
	As of 31 August 2011, approximately 109,000 past and present members of the UK Armed Forces were identified as having been deployed to Afghanistan since the operation began in 2001. A more detailed breakdown is provided in the following table:
	
		
			  Number 
			 1 April 2001 to 31 March 2007 (53.5 months) 28,550 
			 1 April 2007 to 31 March 2008 25,950 
			 1 April 2008 to 31 March 2009 31,570 
			 1 April 2009 to 31 March 2010 38,630 
			 1 April 2010 to 31 March 2011 41,090 
			 1 April 2011 to 31 August 2011 (five months) 23,400 
			 Note: All figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 
		
	
	The figures do not include personnel who deployed to Afghanistan between 1 January 2003 and 14 October 2005 and for which data are not available, although the numbers were low during this period.
	As of 31 August 2011, approximately 142,000 past and present members of the UK armed forces were identified as having been deployed to Iraq since the operation began in 2003. A more detailed breakdown is provided in the following table:
	
		
			  Number 
			 1 April 2003 to 31 March 2007 (48 months) 126,000 
			 1 April 2007 to 31 March 2008 21,920 
			 1 April 2008 to 31 March 2009 18,010 
			 1 April 2009 to 31 March 2010 5,200 
			 1 April 2010 to 31 March 2011 520 
		
	
	
		
			 1 April 2011 to 31 August 2011 (five months) 190 
			 Note s : 1. All figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. "Combat" operations ceased on 31 July 2009. 
		
	
	These figures exclude personnel who are deployed to posts supporting these operations which are not geographically located within Afghanistan and Iraq.
	Individuals are only recorded once per financial year per country, however totals include personnel who deployed to both operational theatres in the same financial year. As a number of individuals have deployed more than once, the total numbers deployed will be less than the sum of the individual years.
	The figures used in this response have been provided by Defence Analytical Services and Advice (DASA). Due to ongoing validation work, the data provided are provisional.

Armed Forces: Recruitment

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many serving personnel of each rank have been deployed in the recruitment of new personnel in the (a) Army, (b) Navy and (c) RAF in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what the cost to the public purse was of recruitment for new personnel for the (a) Army, (b) Navy and (c) RAF in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Robathan: The information requested is provided in the following table:
	
		
			 Headcount 
			   Total Royal Navy Army RAF 
			 Service personnel      
			 OF6/1* Commodore, Air Commodore, Brigadier or equivalent 2 0 2 0 
			 OF5 Capt (RN), Colonel, Gp Capt or equivalent 10 3 5 2 
			 OF4 Cdr, Lt Colonel, Wg Cdr or equivalent 42 4 22 16 
			 OF3 Lt Cdr, Major, Sqn Ldr or equivalent 167 21 105 41 
			 OF2 Lt (RN), Captain, Fit Lt or equivalent 193 43 81 69 
			 OF1 Sub Lt, 2Lt, Fg Off/Pilot Off or equivalent 30 1 29 0 
			   — 0 0 0 
			 OR9 WO1, Warrant Officer or equivalent 44 24 15 5 
			 OR8 WO2, C/Tech or equivalent 115 5 106 4 
			 OR7 Chief Petty Off/CSgt/FS or equivalent 195 68 111 16 
			 OR6 Petty Off/Sgt or equivalent 545 96 315 134 
			 OR4 Leading Rate/Cpl 362 44 110 208 
			 OR3 Able Rate/JT/LCpl or equivalent 46 2 44 0 
			 OR2 Ordinary Rate/Private/SAC or equivalent 275 28 232 15 
		
	
	
		
			 MOD civilians      
			  Band B2 1 1 0 0 
			  Band C1 34 1 32 1 
			  Band C2 24 3 17 4 
			  Band D 36 1 28 7 
			  Band E1 336 46 237 53 
			  Band E2 153 4 93 56 
			  Civilian medical practitioner 1 0 0 1 
			  Medical technical officer 4 11 0 10 1 
			  Military support function (band C1). 6 0 0 6 
			  Military support function (band C2) 6 3 0 3 
			  Military support function (band D) 4 0 0 4 
			  Retired officer 3 1 1 0 0 
			  Youth worker 1 1 0 0 
			  Senior information officer 1 0 0 1 
			  Senior optometrist 2 0 0 2 
			   — 0 0 0 
			  Skill zone 1 10 0 8 2 
			  Skill zone 2 14 1 13 0 
			  Skill zone 3 8 2 6 0 
			  Skill zone 4 0 0 0 0 
			  Total 2,675 403 1,621 651 
		
	
	The Ministry of Defence has recently undertaken a project to ascertain the full cost of regular and reserve recruiting and selection in financial year 2009-10. This includes all costs and manpower associated with recruiting and pre-joining activities, defined as all personnel who spend at least 25% of their working time engaged in recruiting activities in support of recruiting whether in recruitment centres, headquarters, advertising and marketing, or in the administration of such institutions as Welbeck college and the Defence Technical Undergraduate Scheme.
	In financial year 2009-10 the cost of all recruiting activities and in support to recruiting was some £232 million.
	Comparable information for previous years could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	Work is under way to improve efficiency and ways of working in the area of recruitment and selection, including the Department's Recruiting Partnership Programme and steps to rationalise marketing activity.

British Army Training Unit Suffield

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what improvements have been made to the British Army Training Unit Suffield in each of the last five years.

Peter Luff: The following infrastructure improvements have been made to the British Army Training Unit, Suffield (BATUS) over the last five full financial years, many of which have been provided under a cost-sharing agreement with the Canadian Government:
	
		
			 Financial year Infrastructure improvement 
			 2006-07 Range Maintenance Shed Upgrade Facility 
			 2006-07 Ammunition Infrastructure upgrades 
			 2006-07 Base wide water mains replacement 
			   
			 2007-08 Re-skin Sprung Shelter 
			 2007-08 Pump House River Bank Stabilisation 
			 2007-08 Electrical Distribution Upgrades to Force Maintenance Area 
			 2007-08 Electrical Distribution Upgrades to Base Administration Area 
			 2007-08 Upgrade Hussar Trail between Wild Horse and Seven Mile Circle (Phase 1) 
			 2007-08 Extend Base Security Fence 
			 2007-08 Replace Gas Line on Dieppe Drive 
			 2007-08 Replace sewer line to Ralston Lift Station 
			 2007-08 Exercise Control Flight Facility Upgrade (Phase 1) 
			   
			 2008-09 Upgrade Hussar Trail between Wild Horse and Seven Mile Circle (Phase 2) 
			 2008-09 Replace sanitary sewers to Canadian Forces Base Headquarters and Range Maintenance Shed 
			 2008-09 Exercise Control Fit Facility Upgrade (Phase 2) 
			   
			 2009-10 Replace base wide sewer lines 
			 2009-10 Construct Additional Storage Buildings for BATUS 
			   
			 2010-11 Fire Inspection upgrades 
			 2010-11 Drill New Water well (Phase 1) 
			 2010-11 Install accommodation and Kitchen facilities at EXCON 
			 2010-11 Construct two new storage buildings for BATUS Engineer Park 
			 2010-11 Construct new Defence Information Infrastructure Server Centre 
			 2010-11 Install 25 KVA electrical power cable to admin area 
		
	
	In addition to this, a number of routine improvements have been made to service families accommodation in BATUS over the last five years.

Departmental Official Hospitality

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department spent on hospitality for events hosted by each Minister in his Department in each of the last 12 months.

Philip Hammond: On 17 November 2010 the then Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for North Somerset (Dr Fox), and the Chief of the Defence Staff co-hosted the Defence Council Reception at Lancaster House.
	This annual event provides an opportunity for the London-based Commonwealth defence and service advisers and defence and service attachés of non-Commonwealth countries to meet the Secretary of State, Chief of Defence Staff, Defence Council members, and other senior figures in the Ministry of Defence (MOD).
	Approximately 300 guests attended and the cost to the MOD was £12,110.67.
	On 22 August 2011 the then Secretary of State hosted the Canadian Defence Minister and his wife for dinner. The cost to the MOD was £241.88.
	No other events have been hosted at the expense of the MOD in the last 12 months.

Departmental Pay

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will estimate the total monetary value of London weightings and London living allowances for staff in his Department.

Andrew Robathan: The total monetary value of London weighting allowance paid to civilian staff employed by the Ministry of Defence (excluding trading funds), based on annual rates in payment as at 17 October 2011 was £10,950,136. The number of staff in receipt of London allowances was 4,908.
	No additional London living allowances are paid although the Department does have London rates of base pay which are either 4% or 7% higher, dependent on grade, than rates paid to staff employed outside London.

Ministry of Defence Police and Guarding Agency

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what factors he plans to take into account when deciding on future staffing levels for the Ministry of Defence Police.

Andrew Robathan: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 25 October 2011, Official Report, column 176W, to the hon. Member for Colchester (Bob Russell).

Ministry of Defence Police and Guarding Agency

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent assessment he has made of the security and policing role of the Ministry of Defence Police; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Robathan: A range of options that will determine the future role of the Ministry of Defence (MOD) Police is currently under consideration. No final decisions have yet been taken, pending the outcome of formal consultation with the relevant staff associations and trade unions. However, the future role of the MOD Police will focus on the specialist areas of policing at which the force excels, and which are not readily available from Home Department police forces.

EDUCATION

Children: Behaviour

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the effect on the behaviour of children of long-term early years neglect; and what estimate he has made of the cost of dealing with the impact of such behaviour across their lifetime.

Tim Loughton: holding answer 24 October 2011
	The Department for Education has jointly funded with the Department of Health a programme of research as part of the Safeguarding Children Research Initiative. This comprises 12 major research studies which aim to support improvements in the early recognition of neglect and abuse.
	Key findings from research on the impact of neglect, summarised in the forthcoming overview of studies in the Initiative ‘Safeguarding Children Across Services: Messages from research on identifying and responding to child maltreatment', show that neglect can have serious long-term effects on children's cognitive, socio-emotional, and behavioural development. The stage of life at which a child experiences neglectful parenting is important, as is the duration of the experience.
	Neglectful parenting can have an impact on early attachment and subsequent development. Children who receive care which is unpredictable, rejecting or insensitive are more likely to develop attachments which are less secure. Children who have experienced neglectful parenting may have poorer emotional knowledge and be less able to discriminate between different kinds of emotions.
	Long-term neglect in the early years is linked with conduct disorder, eating disorders, attempted and actual suicide, substance misuse, aggression and violent behaviour. Lack of stimulation in early childhood can result in delayed speech and language problems. The consequences of neglect are also known to extend to physical and mental health and to persist into adult life.
	A neglected child's system of response to stress develops abnormally and this in turn results in increased vulnerability to a range of psychological, emotional and physical health problems throughout the lifespan.
	Both structural and functional abnormalities are found in neglected children's brains. Changes in the areas of the brain that are concerned with emotional life and its regulation (physical, behavioural, emotional and attachment systems) have potentially highly damaging and long-term effects for those suffering neglect.
	The Department does not have an estimate of the cost of dealing with the impact of behaviour of children of long-term early years neglect.

Children: Corporal Punishment

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what discussions he has had with Ministerial colleagues on legislation on the smacking of children in (a) England and (b) Wales; and if he will make a statement.

Tim Loughton: The Department for Education (DFE) has lead responsibility for this policy area.
	DFE Ministers have discussed legislation on the smacking of children. The Government have no plans to introduce legislation to ban parents in England and Wales from smacking their children. They do not wish to criminalise parents for administering a mild smack. The Government's approach is to encourage the provision of evidence-based parenting programmes that promote alternatives to physical punishment to manage children's behaviour.

Children: Local Authorities

Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what guidance he has given to local authorities on determining whether it is reasonable to place a child outside of the local authority's area under section 22C of the Children Act 1989.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 20 October 2011
	Statutory guidance issued under the Children Act 1989 (Care Planning, Placement and Case Review. March 2010), sets out the specified factors which must be taken into account when decisions are made to place a looked-after-child out of the area of the responsible authority. These include that the placement is the most appropriate placement for the child and will meet the child's needs set out in the care plan.

Child Protection

Ian Mearns: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will ensure that his Department's revised Working Together guidance strengthens the process for assessing chronic child neglect.

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will ensure that his Department's revised Working Together guidance strengthens the process for assessing chronic child neglect; and if he will make a statement.

Tim Loughton: The Government response to Professor Eileen Munro's review of child protection committed to revising the statutory guidance “Working Together to Safeguard Children” and the “Framework for the Assessment of Children in Need and their Families” by July 2012. The Government also committed to making an interim amendment (on time scales, removing distinction between initial and core assessments and articulating the parameters for good assessment) by December 2011, subject to evidence emerging from trial authorities which are testing a more flexible approach to assessment.
	Professor Munro stressed the importance of making a proportionate assessment that delivers an accurate understanding of a child's needs and circumstances in order to inform effective planning and the delivery of early help services. The Government are committed to building on these principles which are being tested by the trial authorities. The findings from these trials will be used to inform, develop and strengthen the revised Working Together guidance on assessment. These changes seek to give greater autonomy to front line social workers and focus on allowing more flexible time scales for assessment so that social workers can exercise their professional judgment more effectively to improve outcomes for vulnerable children.

Departmental Air Travel

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what (a) contractual obligations and (b) other processes his Department uses in respect of travel management companies to ensure the best value is achieved when purchasing airline tickets.

Tim Loughton: The information is as follows:
	(a) The Department currently uses a jointly negotiated air travel booking contract together with Her Majesty‘s Revenue and Customs and the Home Office, using terms and conditions from a Government Procurement Service framework agreement. The travel management company providing travel booking services is Carlson Wagonlit UK Ltd. A new government-wide contract will be available shortly and the Department has indicated the intention to join it when available.
	(b) The Department provides advice on its intranet web pages which describes the policy that staff should always consider alternatives to travel such as video conferencing.
	(c) Carlson Wagonlit UK consultants have access to a variety of airline fares and deals including specially negotiated public sector air fares, low cost internet airlines and Carlson Wagonlit UK negotiated fares which offer additional savings from standard published rates.
	Upon receipt of the booking request, Carlson Wagonlit UK consultants search all the available fare types for the specific route and advise the client of the available options. This ensures the Department is able to benefit from all fare options and to maximise savings.

Departmental Billing

Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the average cost to his Department was of processing the payment of an invoice in the latest period for which figures are available; and what proportion of invoices settled in that period his Department paid (a) electronically and (b) by cheque.

Tim Loughton: Since 2 November 2009 the Department for Education has contracted with the Department for Work and Pensions shared services for the provision of corporate and transactional services. This includes the receipt, processing and settlement of commercial invoices.
	During period April  to September 2011
	The full cost of processing the payment of an invoice electronically is £0.45, and manually £3.32.
	The proportion of invoices settled electronically was 98.46% and 1.54% were paid by cheque.

Special Advisers

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  how many people his Department has employed directly who were previously political appointees since May 2010;
	(2)  in what capacity Mr Dominic Cummings is employed by his Department;
	(3)  for how long Dominic Cummings was concurrently employed by his Department and receiving payments from the New Schools Network;
	(4)  between what dates his Department employed Dominic Cummings.

Tim Loughton: holding answers 7 and 8 September 2011
	Since May 2010 the Department for Education has employed five people who were previously political appointees.
	Dominic Cummings is employed as a special adviser to the Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove). He joined the Department on 21 February 2011 and was never concurrently employed by the Department for Education and receiving payments from the New Schools Network.

Special Advisers

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many (a) full- and (b) part-time staff his Department employed in each year since 1997.

Tim Loughton: Information from 2007 for the Department and its predecessor, the Department for Children, Schools and Families, is set out in the following table:
	
		
			 Department Date Full-time Part-time Total 
			 Department for Children, Schools and Families 31 July 2007 2,473 457 2,930 
			  31 March 2008 2,353 440 2,793 
			  31 March 2009 2,406 436 2,842 
			  31 March 2010 2,265 426 2,691 
			      
			 Department for Education 31 March 2011 2,178 408 2,586 
		
	
	Information for part-time staff in the predecessor Departments before 2007 and covering the remainder of the period cannot be obtained without disproportionate cost. Similar information for full time staff in the predecessor Departments is published in archive records at the civil service and Office for National Statistics websites:
	http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20110426084705/http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/about/resources/stats-archive/archived-reports.aspx
	http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/search/index.html?newquery=civil+service+statistics

Special Advisers

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many full-time equivalent staff of his Department are employed to work directly on safeguarding children.

Tim Loughton: As at 17 October 2011, the Department for Education's Safeguarding Group had 76.28 full-time equivalent staff in post. This figure does not include staff working in other parts of the Department, or in arm’s length bodies, who may have safeguarding policy responsibilities within their wider roles. The figure may be subject to slight fluctuations over time.

Departmental Public Expenditure

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much his Department spent on new furnishings in the last year.

Tim Loughton: The Department has spent the following on new furnishings in the past 12 months:
	
		
			  £ 
			 Furniture for reasonable adjustments (workstation assessments) 5,142 
			 Office furniture 19,081 
		
	
	
		
			 Replacement carpet 647 
			 Total 24,870 
		
	
	The Department has recently re-used 200 desks from another Department for the set-up of the Standards and Testing Agency, avoiding about £100,000 of expenditure on new furnishings.
	For background information, the following table provides details of expenditure on furnishings for previous financial years.
	
		
			  Total new furnishings (1)  (£) New vehicles 
			 2007/08 1,657,739 0 
			 2008/09 764,246 0 
			 2009/10 125,978 0 
			 (1) Desk, chairs, carpets, blinds and curtains.

Legal Opinion

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many times his Department's legal section provided legal advice to Ministers in (a) 2007, (b) 2009, (c) 2010 and (d) the first six months of 2011.

Tim Loughton: The Legal Adviser's Office is the legal section within the Department for Education. It is the function of the Legal Adviser's Office to provide legal advice to Ministers and policy officials, and this is the work in which its lawyers are engaged every day, It is not therefore possible to quantify the number of times that legal advice has been provided to Ministers in any given period.

Legal Opinion

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many times his Department has sought advice from external counsel in (a) 2007, (b) 2009, (c) 2010 and (d) the first six months of 2011.

Tim Loughton: The Department for Education is aware of 12 matters on which it has directly sought advice from external counsel during the first six months of 2011. It does not include matters on which the Treasury Solicitor, acting on behalf of the Department in litigation, has sought advice from external counsel.
	The Department does not keep a central record of each time external counsel is instructed, so to provide accurate information on the number of times that counsel has been instructed in previous years could be done only at disproportionate cost.

Youth Services

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much each local authority in England reported in their Section 251 financial returns as their (a) budgeted and (b) outturn expenditure for 2010-11 in respect of (i) Youth Work, (ii) Connexions and (iii) all provision of activities for young people; and if he will make a statement.

Tim Loughton: holding answer 18 October 2011
	Section 251 financial returns showing outturn spend in 2010-11 will be published later this financial year. The amounts individual local authorities budgeted to spend on (i) Youth Work; (ii) Connexions and (iii) all provision of activities for young people in 2010-11 may be found in the following table.
	There is significant variation in the amounts shown under each category which may reflect different interpretations of the guidance on completing the returns. The Department has commissioned a full review of how the data is collected, what it is used for, and of quality assurance.
	Decisions on levels of spending on services for young people are for local authorities to make. The Government encourages local authorities to invest in evidence-based early intervention strategies to improve outcomes for disadvantaged young people, and to avoid reductions likely to lead to higher costs in future years.
	
		
			 Planned gross spend on youth services 2010-11 
			 LA Ref Top tier local authority (i) youth work (ii) Connexions (iii) All provision of activities for young people (1) 
			 201 City of London 408,898 55,000 652,898 
			 202 Camden 5,428,601 195,599 8,607,759 
			 203 Greenwich 2,742,570 3,168,230 8,557,550 
			 204 Hackney 4,861,169 2,889,550 13,142,050 
			 205 Hammersmith and Fulham 2,471,361 1,475,205 4,785,620 
			 206 Islington 813,561 2,424,798 12,066,258 
			 207 Kensington and Chelsea 2,782,090 1,714,100 6,238,850 
			 208 Lambeth 2,980,223 2,540,147 8,091,789 
			 209 Lewisham 3,167,115 2,599,051 8,883,241 
			 210 Southwark 1,761,621 1,338,270 10,398,082 
			 211 Tower Hamlets 12,478,091 2,071,700 16,429,891 
			 212 Wandsworth 3,009,499 2,955,691 7,415,109 
			 213 Westminster 1,529,825 2,080,400 5,860,550 
			 301 Barking and Dagenham 1,670,391 2,625,795 4,840,071 
			 302 Barnet 2,540,959 1,946,972 5,630,721 
			 303 Bexley 2,180,000 1,602,000 4,359,000 
			 304 Brent 2,922,597 2,411,506 6,530,052 
			 305 Bromley 1,466,476 1,830,380 4,145,941 
			 306 Croydon 0 2,878,613 10,641,250 
			 307 Ealing 1,769,171 3,149,718 6,840,523 
			 308 Enfield 2,753,043 2,206,610 6,854,891 
		
	
	
		
			 309 Haringey 2,262,169 2,188,100 4,615,943 
			 310 Harrow 1,190,885 1,959,343 4,356,019 
			 311 Havering 2,212,420 2,119,700 5,060,303 
			 312 Hillingdon 5,518,400 2,765,200 8,975,500 
			 313 Hounslow 2,224,159 2,193,099 5,711,096 
			 314 Kingston upon Thames 770,786 979,783 3,219,666 
			 315 Merton 1,397,301 1,392,140 3,192,531 
			 316 Newham 6,817,600 3,477,400 13,908,378 
			 317 Redbridge 1,601,921 2,207,534 4,968,568 
			 318 Richmond upon Thames 1,882,135 1,118,200 3,784,154 
			 319 Sutton 1,402,800 1,259,600 3,422,200 
			 320 Waltham Forest 3,553,900 2,459,500 7,449,204 
			 330 Birmingham 6,179,988 11,041,218 24,070,039 
			 331 Coventry 4,032,990 3,245,291 8,793,570 
			 332 Dudley 2,984,554 2,927,400 7,329,603 
			 333 Sandwell 3,162,000 3,332,900 8,927,500 
			 334 Solihull 0 2,207,170 4,562,015 
			 335 Walsall 4,654,668 2,467,619 7,745,741 
			 336 Wolverhampton 3,766,810 2,630,800 8,322,820 
			 340 Knowsley 582,782 2,222,094 4,294,098 
			 341 Liverpool 6,851,235 5,412,776 15,936,302 
			 342 St. Helens 2,012,665 2,204,000 5,542,480 
			 343 Sefton 5,659,400 2,804,102 9,472,502 
			 344 Wirral 3,589,400 3,127,400 8,443,400 
			 350 Bolton 1,134,100 3,080,400 7,971,700 
			 351 Bury 1,414,159 1,703,400 3,910,407 
			 352 Manchester 5,170,794 5,941,572 16,171,577 
			 353 Oldham 1,927,400 0 2,944,790 
			 354 Rochdale 2,010,321 2,456,700 5,605,645 
			 355 Salford 2,795,274 2,576,000 7,877,215 
			 356 Stockport 2,010,429 2,869,864 6,927,460 
			 357 Tameside 1,962,090 2,499,110 6,129,250 
			 358 Trafford 1,941,502 1,949,375 4,652,817 
			 359 Wigan 2,115,965 4,116,376 8,958,539 
			 370 Barnsley 2,913,400 2,344,670 5,809,438 
			 371 Doncaster 3,256,276 3,485,264 7,826,198 
			 372 Rotherham 2,601,255 2,528,066 7,004,053 
			 373 Sheffield 5,175,501 5,371,074 16,814,023 
			 380 Bradford 6,676,300 5,168,275 13,587,675 
			 381 Calderdale 3,548,295 2,427,380 6,905,315 
			 382 Kirklees 4,110,144 3,862,253 10,950,291 
			 383 Leeds 8,490,813 8,100,735 23,174,220 
			 384 Wakefield 4,366,221 4,085,730 9,745,673 
			 390 Gateshead 1,391,278 1,397,224 3,441,537 
			 391 Newcastle upon Tyne 3,516,346 3,228,180 8,359,241 
			 392 North Tyneside 1,072,550 1,412,889 3,347,299 
			 393 South Tyneside 2,355,053 2,150,187 5,588,360 
			 394 Sunderland 397,916 8,339,012 13,344,370 
			 420 Isles Of Scilly 46,169 25,000 121,169 
			 800 Bath and North East Somerset 1,231,623 1,385,394 3,348,192 
			 801 Bristol City of 3,841,735 3,188,205 8,717,687 
			 802 North Somerset 62,000 1,392,000 3,085,005 
			 803 South Gloucestershire 1,686,000 1,973,000 4,671,000 
			 805 Hartlepool 1,562,714 1,306,614 3,116,165 
			 806 Middlesbrough 1,947,453 2,133,585 5,127,622 
			 807 Redcar and Cleveland 0 2,795,750 5,101,148 
			 808 Stockton-on-Tees 2,266,691 2,464,392 5,693,716 
			 810 Kingston upon Hull City of 4,206,645 3,400,169 11,401,498 
			 811 East Riding of Yorkshire 2,698,000 2,277,930 6,376,840 
			 812 North East Lincolnshire 1,980,820 2,216,472 5,627,008 
			 813 North Lincolnshire 1,605,190 1,526,930 3,985,870 
			 815 North Yorkshire 5,403,472 4,445,927 10,734,506 
			 816 York 2,140,071 1,396,450 4,084,780 
			 821 Luton 2,124,875 2,153,194 5,186,013 
		
	
	
		
			 822 Bedford Borough 1,035,275 2,379,786 3,514,972 
			 823 Central Bedfordshire 1,365,658 2,414,843 4,162,562 
			 825 Buckinghamshire 5,097,931 3,365,125 8,870,556 
			 826 Milton Keynes 3,170,957 2,227,634 6,275,696 
			 830 Derbyshire 5,899,473 5,906,203 14,206,246 
			 831 Derby 2,588,336 2,262,411 7,120,359 
			 835 Dorset 3,148,900 2,820,600 6,768,700 
			 836 Poole 1,186,613 1,148,789 2,635,129 
			 837 Bournemouth 1,966,500 1,296,000 3,835,200 
			 840 Durham 4,115,587 5,056,150 11,770,968 
			 841 Darlington 1,002,178 1,182,918 2,899,854 
			 845 East Sussex 1,611,418 3,982,243 8,100,056 
			 846 Brighton and Hove 1,252,440 2,011,490 5,161,350 
			 850 Hampshire 6,934,900 6,893,200 16,381,600 
			 851 Portsmouth. 920,600 1,595,800 3,269,025 
			 852 Southampton 3,406,812 0 4,164,919 
			 855 Leicestershire 4,647,807 4,206,400 10,376,086 
			 856 Leicester 3,772,426 3,723,400 9,268,026 
			 857 Rutland 457,800 393,100 1,013,300 
			 860 Staffordshire 6,265,350 6,737,109 15,116,319 
			 861 Stoke-on-Trent 703,057 2,744,445 7,168,273 
			 865 Wiltshire 3,396,694 3,312,783 8,345,741 
			 866 Swindon 1,539,726 1,936,180 4,698,623 
			 867 Bracknell Forest 1,221,070 1,066,066 2,747,019 
			 868 Windsor and Maidenhead 1,252,440 1,218,850 3,102,050 
			 869 West Berkshire 1,925,256 1,437,977 3,898,080 
			 870 Reading 1,344,240 1,319,440 3,984,274 
			 871 Slough 1,983,472 1,802,337 4,598,157 
			 872 Wokingham 1,210,713 1,174,200 2,704,138 
			 873 Cambridgeshire 3,735,813 5,011,943 9,423,407 
			 874 Peterborough 1,145,774 1,626,379 3,581,008 
			 876 Halton 1,168,250 1,618,540 3,544,304 
			 877 Warrington 1,910,676 1,754,195 4,119,028 
			 878 Devon 6,403,185 5,916,963 12,754,652 
			 879 Plymouth 3,324,855 2,318,446 7,113,359 
			 880 Torbay 1,326,400 983,900 3,016,780 
			 881 Essex 17,143,297 0 20,340,878 
			 882 Southend-on-Sea 731,500 2,302,000 3,489,100 
			 883 Thurrock 1,300,274 1,657,326 3,108,200 
			 884 Herefordshire 1,135,083 1,394,246 2,832,459 
			 885 Worcestershire 10,795 3,848,515 10,137,931 
			 886 Kent 11,460,589 13,141,891 28,259,357 
			 887 Medway 1,976,547 2,430,553 8,378,827 
			 888 Lancashire 11,293,962 10,111,427 26,990,353 
			 889 Blackburn with Darwen 1,107,200 1,633,700 4,323,400 
			 890 Blackpool 1,251,001 1,844,391 4,261,268 
			 891 Nottinghamshire 8,663,937 6,574,440 17,479,746 
			 892 Nottingham 1,312,764 0 6,124,743 
			 893 Shropshire 2,272,142 2,223,670 5,677,032 
			 894 Telford and Wrekin 1,747,233 1,398,216 3,676,871 
			 895 Cheshire East 813,105 2,504,255 4,288,130 
			 896 Cheshire West and Cheshire 1,208,531 2,739,897 5,005,058 
			 908 Cornwall 4,384,377 3,085,000 8,766,289 
			 909 Cumbria 4,008,000 4,094,000 9,160,000 
			 916 Gloucestershire 5,477,700 4,101,300 10,105,471 
			 919 Hertfordshire 5,436,712 7,093,372 14,541,037 
			 921 Isle of Wight 1,231,241 1,057,465 2,874,610 
			 925 Lincolnshire 4,216,352 5,198,881 11,257,912 
			 926 Norfolk 5,111,942 6,391,740 13,321,323 
			 928 Northamptonshire 2,256,702 5,149,542 8,779,420 
			 929 Northumberland 2,289,500 3,229,750 7,110,500 
			 931 Oxfordshire 1,140,986 4,679,857 10,209,748 
			 933 Somerset 3,523,970 4,996,582 10,307,882 
			 935 Suffolk 4,431,603 5,825,532 11,418,962 
		
	
	
		
			 936 Surrey 2,688,148 6,913,632 21,124,795 
			 937 Warwickshire 4,878,505 4,005,766 10,954,965 
			 938 West Sussex 4,006,274 5,381,600 10,187,379 
			  England Total 451,153,621 446,930,841 1,180,704,500 
			 (1 )Figures for all provision of activities for young people include: youth work; positive activities; information, advice and guidance; substance misuse and teenage pregnancy reduction; and discretionary awards and student support.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Departmental Assets

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assets with a value of £250,000 or more his Department has bought since May 2010; for what purpose; and if he will make a statement.

Gregory Barker: The Department did not purchase any individual assets with a value of £250,000 or more during this period.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether he receives any external funding for (a) his ministerial office and (b) his advisers; and what the (i) source and (ii) amount is of any such funding.

Gregory Barker: No.

Departmental Responsibilities

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change at how many events organised by (a) charities, (b) other civil society groups, (c) businesses and (d) lobbying organisations Ministers and senior officials in his Department have given speeches in each month since May 2010.

Gregory Barker: Details of keynote ministerial speeches are available on the Department's website at:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/news/categories/Speeches/Speeches.aspx
	A comprehensive list of all speaking engagements undertaken by Ministers and senior officials since May 2010 is not held centrally and to assemble the information would entail disproportionate cost.

Security

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change 
	(1)  what level of security vetting is required for the post of (a) head of communications, (b) deputy head of communications and (c) head of press office in his Department; and if he will list each person who has held these posts since May 2010;
	(2)  what level of security vetting is required for (a) grade six and seven, or equivalent, press officers and (b) ministerial private secretaries in his Department.

Gregory Barker: The information regarding security vetting is publicly available in the booklet HMG Security controls, available from the Cabinet Office website at:
	www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/hmg-personnel-security-controls
	This booklet describes the circumstances in which a post may require the holder to be the subject of national security vetting checks.
	It would not be appropriate to confirm which specific posts within a Department are the subject of vetting, as this could highlight who within a Department has access to sensitive material and be used for targeting purposes,

Security

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what level of security vetting is required for (a) special advisers and (b) ministerial-appointed policy advisers in his Department; and if he will list each person who has held these posts since May 2010.

Gregory Barker: The information regarding security vetting is publicly available in the booklet HMG Security controls, available from the Cabinet Office website at:
	www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/hmg-personnel-security-controls
	This booklet describes the circumstances in which a post may require the holder to be the subject of national security vetting checks.
	It would not be appropriate to confirm which specific posts within a Department are the subject of vetting, as this could highlight who within a Department has access to sensitive material and be used for targeting purposes.
	The list of special advisers is available in the Library of the House and can also be accessed on the Cabinet Office website at:
	http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/special-adviser-data-releases

Security

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what company or Government service is used to undertake security vetting at (a) counter terrorist check, (b) security check and (c) developed vetting level in his Department.

Gregory Barker: DECC complies with Cabinet Office requirements and utilises a Government approved vetting service. All DECC vetting is undertaken via a contract with FCO Services.

Security

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many people were in possession of a security pass for his main Departmental headquarters, including multi-site headquarters and not including staff or contractors, in each month since May 2010.

Gregory Barker: The DECC non-staff pass system was implemented in August 2010 and figures are available as from that date. These passes are only given to security cleared civil servants from other Government Departments who have a business requirement to visit DECC regularly in the course of their duties:
	
		
			  Total number of passes 
			 August 2010 7 
			 September 2010 8 
			 October 2010 9 
			 November 2010 15 
			 December 2010 17 
			 January 2011 20 
			 February 2011 22 
			 March 2011 24 
			 April 2011 30 
			 May 2011 31 
			 June 2011 49 
			 July 2011 65 
			 August 2011 72 
			 September 2011 78 
			 October 2011 81

Energy

Simon Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether he has had any discussions on possible tariff discounts for high usage energy customers who have installed effective energy efficiency measures but are unable to reduce their usage for health or welfare reasons.

Gregory Barker: The Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, my right hon. Friend the Member for Eastleigh (Chris Huhne), and I have regular discussions with the energy companies about assistance for their vulnerable consumers. Under the new Warm Home Discount scheme suppliers are required to provide financial assistance to their low income, vulnerable consumers. The Government expects that around 2 million households will receive direct help each year of the scheme.
	For those with potential to further improve the energy efficiency of their homes, support may be available through existing schemes such as the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target (CERT). CERT will continue to operate until the end of 2012, at which point it will be replaced by the Government's new Green Deal programme. We will consult shortly on the design of Green Deal, including how it can best support those most in need of help to pay their energy bills.

Energy Supply

Caroline Nokes: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he is taking to remove barriers that limit investment in energy intensive companies.

Gregory Barker: The Department is working with the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills and HM Treasury to develop a package of measures to assist those energy intensive businesses whose international competitiveness is most affected by our energy and climate change policies, in order to reduce the impact of Government policy on the cost of electricity for these businesses.
	In developing the package we aim to ensure continuing investment and for the UK to remain competitive in international markets.
	Later this year, the Government will present further details of how the industrial sector can play its role in meeting the UK's carbon budgets and contribute to delivering the 2050 carbon reduction target.

Feed-in Tariffs

John Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether he has any plans to reduce the future rate for feed-in tariffs; what timetable he has set for any such reduction; and what the feed-in tariff rate will be in each of the next three years.

Gregory Barker: On 7 February 2011, Official Report, columns 2-3WS, the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, my right hon. Friend the Member for Eastleigh (Chris Huhne), announced the start of the first comprehensive review of the Great Britain Feed-in Tariffs (FITs) scheme.
	A consultation on the first phase of the comprehensive review was launched on 31 October 2011 and proposes new tariffs for all solar photovoltaic-PV-installations with a total installed capacity of 250KW or less. Subject to the outcome of the consultation, the tariffs in the following table will be introduced from 1 April 2012 for new installations which become eligible for FITs on or after 12 December 2011. No proposals have yet been made for changes to tariff rates beyond April 2012 but this will be kept under review.
	
		
			 Band (kW) Current generation tariff (p/kWh) Proposed generation tariff (p/kWh) 
			 <4kW (new build) 37.8 21.0 
			 <4kW (retrofit) 43.3 21.0 
			 >4-10kW 37.8 16.8 
			 >10-50kW 32.9 15.2 
			 >50-100kW 19 12.9 
			 >100-150kW 19 12.9 
			 >150-250kW 15 12.9 
			 >250kW-5MW 8.5 (1)8.5 
			 stand alone 8.5 (1)8.5 
			 (1) Note that these are the current tariffs which, like all other current tariffs, will be adjusted in line with the retail price index from 1 April 2012. 
		
	
	We have proposed introducing new multi-installation tariff rates, in the following table, for aggregated solar PV schemes, applying to new installations with an eligibility date after 1 April 2012.
	
		
			 Solar PV tariff band Multi-installation generation tariff (p/kWh) 
			 <4kW (new build) 16.8 
			 <4kW (retrofit) 16.8 
			 >4-10kW 13.4 
			 >10-50kW 12.2 
			 >50-100kW 10.3 
			 >100-150kW 10.3 
			 >150-250kW 10.3 
			 >250kW-5MW (1)8.5 
		
	
	
		
			 stand alone (1)8.5 
			 (1) Note that these are the current tariffs which, like all other current tariffs, will be adjusted in line with the retail price index from 1 April 2012. 
		
	
	We also propose prioritising energy efficiency by linking solar PV tariffs to specified minimum energy efficiency requirements from 1 April 2012, for new installations which are attached or wired to a building. A generator unable to demonstrate that the building meets these requirements will, after a transitional period, be eligible for a lower tariff of 9p/kWh instead of the standard tariff.
	We are intending to consult on the second phase of the review of the scheme towards the end of the year. This will consider new tariffs for non-PV technologies from April 2012.

Green Deal Scheme

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he is taking to ensure small and medium-sized businesses are represented in discussions on Green Deal finance.

Gregory Barker: We are in discussion with a variety of stakeholders, including a number of small and medium size businesses and also trade associations, on all aspects of the Green Deal, including how Green Deal providers might be able to access finance.

Liquefied Petroleum Gas

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 20 October 2011, Official Report, column 1116W, on liquefied petroleum gas, what assessment he has made of (a) regional differences in the price of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and (b) the extent of competition in the supply of LPG within each region.

Charles Hendry: The Department does not hold data on the regional differences in the price of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). The price of LPG is affected by a range of factors, including crude oil prices, refinery capacity, stock levels, distribution costs and increased demand for heating during winter.
	The Competition Commission's 2006 investigation into domestic bulk LPG found that there were no distinct regional or local markets with prices being broadly similar in all regions of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. However, the CC did identify some features of the market that led to weak competition. As a result of its findings the CC made two orders. The Office of Fair Trading has a statutory duty to keep under review undertakings and orders following a Market Investigation Reference to the CC and consider whether these have been or are being complied with. In its recent off-grid energy market study, the OFT noted that the emerging picture on compliance with the orders is broadly positive and that the collective market shares of the big four suppliers had fallen from 90% to 85% while 10 smaller suppliers had grown their customer base by 10% or more since the orders were introduced. The OFT will keep compliance with the orders under review.

Motion-sensitive Lighting Systems

Jo Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect on (a) carbon emissions and (b) energy efficiency of the introduction of mandatory motion-sensitive lighting systems in the commercial property sector.

Andrew Stunell: I have been asked to reply.
	My Department has made no assessment of the potential energy and carbon saving effects of introducing mandatory motion-sensitive lighting systems. The Building Regulations already set minimum standards of energy efficiency when property owners choose to install or replace fixed lighting systems. Automatic controls including motion-sensitive lighting systems can be installed to help meet these efficiency standards. The Regulations were amended in 2010 to strengthen standards and an impact assessment supporting these regulations can be found on my Department's website.

Proven Energy: Finance

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what support his Department has provided to Proven Energy.

Gregory Barker: DECC officials contacted Proven's senior management team when it emerged that they had technical problems with their P35-2 wind turbine. Further conversations were held with Proven and the joint receivers prior to the sale of Proven's business and assets to Kingspan Renewbles Ltd. Officials are continuing to work closely with the industry to consider the wider issues raised by the unfortunate termination of the business.

UK Safeguards Support Programme

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much (a) his Department and (b) its predecessors contributed to the UK Safeguards Support Programme in each year since 2001.

Charles Hendry: The Department and its predecessors, the Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) and the Department for Trade and Industry (DTI) have contributed the following amounts to the UK Safeguards Support Programme since 2001-02:
	
		
			  £000 
			 2001-02 746 
			 2002-03 752 
			 2003-04 1,046 
			 2004-05 2,354 
			 2005-06 1,178 
			 2006-07 806 
			 2007-08 761 
			 2008-09 998 
			 2009-10 l,149 
			 2010-11 l,077

TREASURY

Job Creation: Private Sector

Mark Menzies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what fiscal measures he is taking to encourage job creation in the private sector.

Harriett Baldwin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what fiscal measures he is taking to encourage job creation in the private sector.

Chloe Smith: At Budget 2011 the Government put in place a wide range of measures to support this, including:
	Supporting business growth by aiming to create the most competitive tax system in the G20, including cutting corporation tax in April from 28% to 26%, by 2014 it will reach 23% which represents the lowest rate in the G7; and,
	Helping to ensure that it always pays to work by increasing the personal allowance by £1,000 in 2011-12.

Regional Growth Fund

Julie Elliott: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills on funding for the Regional Growth Fund.

Danny Alexander: The Government remain committed to their aim of delivering strong, sustainable and balanced economic growth and the Chancellor of the Exchequer, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne), and I frequently discuss such matters, including the Regional Growth Fund, with the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, my right hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable).

VAT

Ian Murray: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effects on consumer confidence of the recent increase in the rate of VAT.

David Gauke: Sustainable public finances are essential for consumer confidence.
	Decisive action taken by the Government in the comprehensive spending review and June Budget, including the increase in VAT, put the public finances and Government spending on a sustainable footing. This has prevented the turmoil seen in other countries' sovereign debt markets spreading to the UK and undermining confidence and the recovery in the private sector.

National Insurance Holiday

Julian Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many firms have participated in the national insurance holiday for new businesses.

David Gauke: As of 25 October 2011, HMRC has received 8,761 successful applications for the NICs holiday. A breakdown by constituency, information on the amounts claimed and jobs supported for the first year of the scheme will be published in a Factsheet in the House of Commons Library shortly.

Valuation Office Agency

Jason McCartney: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps his Department has taken to ensure a consistent approach to valuation policy is taken by all offices of the Valuation Office Agency.

David Gauke: The basis of valuation for both council tax and non domestic rates are set out in statute and regulations to ensure the consistency of valuation assumptions and approach. Statutory Valuation and Listing Officers, employed within the Valuation Office Agency (VOA), are accountable for valuation accuracy and consistency.
	The VOA publishes its policy and guidance for council tax and non domestic rates on its website at:
	http://www.voa.gov.uk/corporate/CouncilTax/index.html
	http://www.voa.gov.uk/corporate/Publications/business.html#rating

Banking: Leverage Ratios

Owen Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions (a) he and (b) his officials have had with the Bank of England regarding the leverage ratios of British banks.

Mark Hoban: Treasury Ministers and officials regularly meet counterparts from the Bank of England to discuss a range of issues. It is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings and discussions.
	As part of Basel III, the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision agreed to introduce a non-risk based leverage ratio to constrain the build-up of leverage in the. banking sector and support the risk based capital requirements. In the EU, Basel III will be implemented through legislation on prudential requirements for credit institutions and investment firms, which the Commission adopted proposals for on 20 July 2011.

Child Trust Funds: Children in Care

Owen Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what progress he has made in ensuring that looked-after children continue to receive a child trust fund.

Tim Loughton: I have been asked to reply.
	Following the discontinuation of child trust funds, we have made good progress on work to ensure continued Government support for the long-term savings for looked- after children. I will be making more details available shortly.

Child Trust Funds: Children in Care

Owen Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions he has had with Ministers in the devolved Administrations regarding child trust funds for looked-after children.

Tim Loughton: I have been asked to reply.
	Officials at the Department for Education working on long-term savings for looked-after children have been in close discussion with their counterparts at the devolved Administrations. I expect to write to my counterparts in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland shortly with an outline of a proposed UK scheme and inviting their support.

Council Tax: Valuation

Jason McCartney: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many claims to reduce council tax bandings were (a) successful and (b) unsuccessful in each of the last three years;
	(2)  how many proposals for council tax rebanding have been made in the last 12 months.

David Gauke: Official statistics are published by the Valuation Office Agency on the number of challenges to the CT Valuation Lists and the outcomes of those challenges. The figures for England over the last three years are summarised in the following table.
	
		
			 England 
			   Of which: 
			 Financial year Total challenges settled CT band reduced CT band Unchanged CT band increased Other (1) 
			 2008-09 116,430 31,560 80,590 150 4,140 
			 2009-10 82,310 21,720 58,170 80 2,340 
			 2010-11 81,320 19,740 58,860 40 2,670 
			 (1) Other includes challenges which result in deleted entries (e.g. demolitions), new entries (e.g. new build) and split or merged entries (e.g. conversions) on the list. 
		
	
	Equivalent figures for the latest two quarters in 2011-12 are shown in the following table.
	
		
			 England 
			   Of which: 
			 Financial year 2011-12 Total challenges settled CJ band reduced CT band unchanged CT band increased Other (1) 
			 April-June 21,120 5,440 14,880 20 780 
			 July-September 17,980 4,350 12,840 10 780 
			 (1) Other includes challenges which result in deleted entries (e.g. demolitions), new entries (e.g. new build) and split or merged entries (e.g. conversions) on the list. 
		
	
	Published statistics also show that of the 39,000 challenges settled in the first two quarters of 2011-12, 26,600 (68%) were informal band reviews only, 10,800 (28%) were valid proposals and 1,600 (4%) were appealed to the Valuation Tribunal.

Lost Property

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether his Department has lost any (a) computers, (b) mobile phones, (c) BlackBerrys and (d) other IT equipment since May 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Chloe Smith: The following items have been lost since 31 May 2010:
	Items lost from the Department since 31 May 2010
	Computers—seven of which six were stolen
	Mobile Phones—one
	BlackBerrys—14 of which two were stolen
	Other IT Equipment—16 of which two were stolen
	All the laptop computers involved in these losses were encrypted devices which are not accessible without a security token and two different passwords. The BlackBerry devices are also password protected.
	No data loss occurred as no tokens or passwords were left with these items, and steps were taken to ensure that they provided no means of access to any of HM Treasury's IT systems.

Departmental Responsibilities

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many applications from employees to run services for which his Department is directly responsible he has received since May 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Chloe Smith: HM Treasury has not received any such applications since May 2010.

EU Budget: Contributions

Peter Bone: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the net contribution was by the UK to the EU in each year from 2005 to 2010; and what estimate he has made of the contribution in each year from 2010 to 2015.

Mark Hoban: Details of the UK's net contribution to the EU Budget for the period 2004-05 to 2009-10 are set out in Table 3.2A, page 23, of European Union Finances 2010 (Cm 7978). The latest forecast of the UK's net contributions to the EU budget for the period 2010-11 to 2015-16 is set out in Table 2.16 of the Office for Budget Responsibility's Economic and Fiscal Outlook of March 2011. This forecast will be updated in the autumn forecast.

Loans: Republic of Ireland

Christopher Chope: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 17 October 2011, Official Report, column 51WS, on financial assistance (Ireland), what annual rate of interest is payable; and on what dates interest due will be paid.

Mark Hoban: The rate of interest applicable to each tranche of the bilateral loan to Ireland and the interest payment dates are set out in the Loan Agreement that I deposited in the Library of the House on 10 January 2011.
	The rate of interest on each tranche of the loan is equal to the 7.5 year sterling swap rate at the time of disbursement plus a fixed margin of 229 basis points.
	Following the 21 July 2011 agreement by euro area member states to reduce the interest rates applied to loans from the euro area-only European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF), the Chancellor of the Exchequer, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne), notified his Irish counterpart that the UK was able to cut the interest rate applied to the bilateral loan. The new rate is yet to be agreed, but the Government will update Parliament in due course.
	Following the disbursement of the first tranche of the loan on 14 October, the first interest payment is due on 15 December 2011.
	Thereafter interest on each disbursed tranche of the loan is payable every six months until the maturity date of each tranche.

Local Government: Bank Services

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much is owed to local authorities in (a) West Yorkshire and (b) England by Icelandic banks.

Bob Neill: I have been asked to reply.
	As at 31 December 2008, local authorities in (a) West Yorkshire and (b) England had a total of £10 million and £929.2 million respectively invested in Icelandic banks.
	The UK administrators of Heritable and Kaupthing, Singer and Friedland Ltd, have published information on likely rates of return. Local authorities are in direct contact with these administrators. For the two failed banks in administration in Iceland, Glitnir and Landsbanki, the Icelandic Supreme Court has ruled that UK local authorities' claims have priority status.

Local Government: Bank Services

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much money invested in Icelandic banks has been repaid to Kirklees metropolitan council; and how much remains to be paid.

Bob Neill: I have been asked to reply.
	As at 31 December 2008 Kirklees metropolitan council had a total of £1,000,000 invested in Landsbanki. No money has been repaid yet. For the two failed banks in administration in Iceland, Glitnir and Landsbanki, the Icelandic Supreme Court has ruled that UK local authorities' claims have priority status.

Minimum Wage

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much funding for investigations into firms suspected of not adhering to minimum wage legislation was allocated within the HM Revenue and Customs budget for (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11 and (c) 2011-12; how much he expects to allocate in (i) 2012-13, (ii) 2013-14 and (iii) 2014-15; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Davey: I have been asked to reply.
	HM Revenue and Customs' national minimum wage enforcement team were allocated:
	
		
			 Financial year £ 
			 2009-10 8,300,000 
			 2010-11 8,100,000 
			 2011-12 8,295,000 
		
	
	The funding levels for future years have yet to be allocated.

National Insurance Contributions: New Businesses

Owen Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the steps taken to increase the take-up of the national insurance holiday scheme; how much his Department has spent on steps to increase the take-up of the scheme; and if he will make a statement.

David Gauke: To further increase take-up, HMRC has issued around 140,000 personalised letters to all businesses that have registered for a PAYE scheme since the start of the national insurance (NICs) holiday on 22 June 2010. The letters were issued between 4 and 6 October 2011 and HMRC's regional press teams have generated local publicity in eligible regions. The cost of issuing the personalised letter is £90,000.
	In addition, agents are now able to apply for the NICs holiday on behalf of their clients.

National Insurance Contributions: New Businesses

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many businesses have taken part in the Government's regional national insurance contributions holiday.

David Gauke: holding answer 31 October 2011
	As of 25 October 2011, HMRC has received 8,761 successful applications for the NICs holiday. A breakdown by constituency, information on the amounts claimed and jobs supported will be published in the NICs holiday factsheet in the House of Commons Library in the autumn.

Public Finance

David Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent estimate he has made of the size of the structural deficit.

Danny Alexander: The independent Office for Budget Responsibility's (OBR) latest estimates of the structural deficit were published in the OBR's Economic and Fiscal Outlook in March. It was estimated that the cyclically-adjusted deficit for 2011-12 will be 5.3% of GDP.

Revenue and Customs: Government Procurement Card

Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 17 October 2011, Official Report, column 702W, on Revenue and Customs: Government Procurement Card, what the (a) name of the supplier and (b) purpose and function was of the entry 2 July Catering and Catering Supplies 639.60 in 2007.

David Gauke: The duties of HMRC staff cover a wide range of posts and some roles require overseas or domestic travel requiring accommodation in support of key departmental objectives—for example, fiscal crime liaison, EU policy development, enforcement of prohibition and restrictions and mutual administrative assistance.
	The transaction relating to 2 July 2007 was categorised by the merchant category code as ‘Catering & Catering supplies', however checks reveal this was for overnight B&B accommodation (UK). The name of supplier is redacted because this relates to an operationally sensitive investigation, and also to protect the safety of our officers and supplier.

Revenue and Customs: Government Procurement Card

Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 17 October 2011, Official Report, column 702W, on Revenue and Customs: Government Procurement Card, what the (a) name of the supplier and (b) purpose and function was of the entry 4 July Restaurants and Bars 1,010.00 in 2008.

David Gauke: The UK hosted a meeting of Customs delegates from EU member states and heads of unit from the European Commission to negotiate the Implementing Regulations for the Modernised Customs Code (Regulation 450/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council).
	During the first part of the negotiating stage, meetings were held every six weeks and hosting was rotated on an informal basis across member states. The meetings were attended by approximately 35 delegates and the UK took its turn in hosting a meeting in Felixstowe in July 2008.
	It is customary for the member state hosting the meeting to also host an evening dinner, reciprocating hospitality shown by other member states. Care is always taken to ensure costs are kept to a minimum.

Revenue and Customs: Telephone Services

Jo Swinson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the (a) average time to answer a call, (b) average length of a call, (c) average time spent on hold during a call and (d) proportion of calls dropped was in call centres run by HM Revenue and Customs in the last period for which figures are available.

David Gauke: holding answer 17 October 2011
	The information requested for the period 1-30 September 2011 is as follows:
	
		
			  September 2011 
			 (a) Average time to answer a call 3 minutes 48 seconds 
			 (b) Average length of a call 7 minutes 50 seconds 
			 (c) Average time spent on hold during a call 18 seconds 
			 (d) Proportion of calls dropped 7.5% 
		
	
	Service levels have significantly improved when compared with last year. In 2010-11, HMRC handled 58.4 million calls which is 48% of calls attempted. So far in 2011-12 (April to September), HMRC has handled over 31.3 million calls which is 71.9% of call attempts.

Tax Avoidance: International Co-operation

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps his Department is taking to improve the transparency of multinational corporations' accounts for the purposes of ensuring that developing countries are aware of any international tax avoidance; and if he will make a statement.

David Gauke: The Government are engaging with the European Commission and other member states in order to emphasise our support for requirements being placed on EU extractives companies to disclose payments made to Governments, matching the standards being set in the US.

Taxation

Owen Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effects of mechanisms by which UK citizens holding assets in Swiss bank accounts may avoid paying the taxes to be levied under the new rules agreed in October 2011 (a) prior to and (b) following their commencement in May 2013.

David Gauke: The agreement between the UK and Switzerland on co-operation in tax matters will have a strong positive effect for the UK Exchequer.
	Any person failing to pay the tax will fail to benefit from the provisions of the agreement. No tax clearance will be given, and the person will still be liable to tax, interest, and significant penalties. They may also be subject to criminal investigation.

Taxation

Owen Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions (a) he and (b) his officials have had with their counterparts in the Swiss Government regarding the appropriate commencement date of the agreement between the Swiss Confederation and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland on co-operation in the area of taxation; and whether consideration was given in those discussions to the effects on revenues of commencement in May 2013.

David Gauke: The Government's aim is for the agreement between the UK and Switzerland on co-operation in tax matters to come into force on 1 January 2013. This allows for the time needed to complete parliamentary procedures in both countries.

Taxation

Owen Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether UK citizens with assets in Swiss banks will be liable to pay the tax to be levied under the terms of the new agreement between the Swiss Confederation and the Government if they move those assets to branches of Swiss banks outside Switzerland and which fall outside the scope of the new agreement.

David Gauke: The agreement between the UK and Switzerland on co-operation in tax matters applies to investments in Switzerland.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Argentina: Overseas Aid

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much aid his Department has given to Argentina in each of the last 10 years.

Stephen O'Brien: No Department for International Development (DFID) bilateral aid was given to Argentina between 2001-02 and 2010-11.

Climate Change

Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether his Department plans to respond formally to the Government Office for Science's Foresight report on Migration and Global Environmental Change.

Stephen O'Brien: The Department for International Development, as joint commissioner of this report with DEFRA, welcomes the Foresight Report on Migration and Global Environmental Change which is relevant to a number of issues of interest to the Department. This excellent and very detailed report is already informing our thinking, and will continue to do so. We do not however intend to respond formally to it as one of the joint commissioning Departments.

Departmental Allowances

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much members of his departmental management board have claimed in expenses since May 2010.

Stephen O'Brien: Management board expenses are available on the DFID website
	http://www.dfid.gov.uk/About-us/Our-organisation/Management-board/
	and are published every quarter in the normal way.

Departmental Assets

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assets with a value of £250,000 or more his Department has bought since May 2010; for what purpose; and if he will make a statement.

Alan Duncan: There have been no assets bought with a value of £250,000 or more by the Department for International Development since May 2010.

Older Workers

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many people his Department employs who are aged over (a) 55 and (b) 65.

Alan Duncan: The Department for International Development currently employs 198 staff aged over 55 and 10 staff aged over 65.

Voluntary Work

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what volunteering (a) he and (b) other Ministers in his Department have undertaken as part of the one day challenge; what the nature of the work undertaken was; on what dates it took place; and what the names were of the organisations assisted.

Alan Duncan: The Department for International Development (DFID) has long recognised the value of volunteering and the vital contribution made by volunteers to development, and to local communities and charities.
	At present none of our Ministers has been directly involved with activities in association with the one day challenge.

Developing Countries: Disability

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what work his Department is undertaking with local disabled people's organisations in partner countries to reduce discrimination against children with disabilities in education.

Stephen O'Brien: DFID supports over 85 disabled people's organisations and civil society organisations to address the issues facing people with disabilities in poor countries. We are providing £1,350,000 to the Disability Rights Fund in support of its work during the period April 2010 to March 2013. This supports the participation of disabled people's organisations in the ratification, implementation and monitoring of the Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities at country levels.
	For example in Malawi, DFID has supported approximately 700,000 children with disabilities to enter education. Through DFID support, 4,200 classrooms have been constructed and 70% of these have ramp access.

Developing Countries: Disability

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking to reduce exclusion of children with disabilities from education in developing countries.

Stephen O'Brien: The coalition Government are committed to ensuring the inclusion of disabled people in development. Following a full review of all of the UK's aid spending, we recently published our priorities for the next four years in the document ‘UK Aid: Changing Lives, Delivering Results' which can be found on the DFID website:
	http://www.dfid.gov.uk/Documents/publications1/mar/BAR-MAR-summary-document-web.pdf
	The document shows how programmes to ensure that everyone has access to education, including children with disabilities, will be given priority for UK development assistance.
	For example, in Bangladesh, DFID is continuing to support the BRAC Primary Education Development Programme, with the third phase due to commence in July 2011. The main focus of this is to ensure access to education for vulnerable children including children with disability.

Developing Countries: Literacy

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent steps his Department has taken to increase adult literacy in developing countries.

Stephen O'Brien: DFID has a two strand approach to tackling adult literacy in the countries where we work: Firstly, where appropriate, the UK invests in programmes that combine adult literacy with vocational training, or that include a focus on the empowerment of marginalised groups and secondly, we prioritise quality basic education for all so that fewer children become illiterate adults.
	An example of DFID's work in this area is our support to the Mahila Samakhya (Women Together) in India, a Government programme to promote gender equality and women's empowerment, including improving literacy and economic opportunities through better access to education.

East Africa: Droughts

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent estimate he has made of the number of people in the Horn of Africa affected by famine; what discussions he has had with his international counterparts on the level of aid contributed; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Mitchell: The current crisis in the Horn of Africa has affected approximately 18 million people. In Somalia, where famine has been officially declared, some 750,000 people face starvation before the end of the year unless they receive adequate humanitarian support.
	Over the summer I have spoken with a number of my international counterparts about the crisis in the Horn. Specifically I have held discussions with the United Nation's Emergency Relief Coordinator, Baroness Amos, with Josette Sheeran of the World Food Programme. In addition I have also spoken with Rav Shah from the United States Agency for International Development; Ben Knapen, the Netherlands' Development Minster; Dirk Niebel, Germany's Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development; Gunilla Carlsson, Minister for International Development Cooperation of Sweden; Henri de Raincourt, France's Development Minister; and Franco Frattini, Italy's Foreign Minister.
	At the Tidewater conference in July I also addressed Development Ministers and officials including Denmark's State Secretary for Development Policy, Ib Petersen; European Commissioner for Development, Andris Piebalgs; Deputy Director General and Minister of Foreign Affairs for France, George Serre; Minister of the Environment and International Development of Norway, Erik Solheim; Japanese President, Sadako Ogata; President of Institute for Liberty and Democracy, Hernando de Soto; Deputy Administrator of USAID, Donald Steinberg; Secretary General of UNCTAD, Panitchpakdi Supachai; Chair of Development Assistance Committee France, Brian Atwood; Director-General of Ausaid Australia, Peter Baxter; President of CIDA Canada, Margaret Briggs; Director General of International Cooperation the Netherlands, Yoka Brandt; Vice Minister for Development Policy and Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Korea, Tae-Yul Cho; Director General Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation Switzerland, Martin Dahinden; Associate Administrator UNDP, Rebecca Grynspan; Secretary General OECD, Angel Gurria; State Secretary for International Development Cooperation Sweden, Anna Helquist; Political Director Ministry of Foreign Affairs Norway, Hege Hertzberg; Parliamentary State Secretary, Federal Ministry for Eco-Cooperation Development Germany, Gudrun Kopp; Executive Director UNICEF, Anthony Lake; Managing Director of Public Policy, Bill Gates Foundation, Geoff Lamb; and Managing Director of World Bank, Mahmoud Mohieldin; Kenyan Prime Minister, Razla Odinga, and Foreign Minister George Saitotz; Somali Government; senior officials from the United Nations (UN) including Baroness Amos of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs; Josette Sheeran of the World Food Programme; Antonio Guterres, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees; and Tony Lake of the UN Children's Fund.
	The Prime Minister, the Deputy Prime Minister, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), and the Under-Secretary of State for International Development, my hon. Friend the Member for Eddisbury (Mr O'Brien), have also discussed the crisis affecting the Horn of Africa with a number of their counterparts.
	The UK has been at the forefront of the world's response to the crisis in the Horn. While UK lobbying has helped to attract significant financial support to humanitarian appeals, there remains a shortfall of US$609 million.

IRG Ltd

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether (a) he or (b) Ministers in his Department have had meetings with representatives of IRG Ltd.

Andrew Mitchell: Details of all Ministers’ external meetings are available on the DFID website:
	http://www.dfid.gov.uk/About-DFID/Our-organisation1/Ministers/
	and are published every quarter in the normal way.

Malawi: Environment Protection

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking to promote environmental awareness in Malawi at the (a) provincial and (b)sub-district level; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen O'Brien: DFID is currently funding an Enhanced Community Resilience Programme jointly with Irish Aid and Norway in Malawi. Among other things, the programme will support information sharing on disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation amongst civil society.
	The programme is being delivered by NGOs at the district level and is expected to result in 300,000 people with increased awareness of climate change and the actions they can take to mitigate its impact between 2011 and 2016
	DFID has also been funding the British Council in Malawi since 2009 to promote debate and public awareness of climate change in Malawi. In September 2009, over 100 citizens from Malawi participated in a global public debate on climate change. The debates are estimated to have reached 3 million people across the country though radio, resulting in increased public engagement and awareness.

Nigeria: Elections

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent work his Department has undertaken to strengthen the electoral system in Nigeria; and if he will make a statement.

Alan Duncan: Strengthening democracy in Nigeria is a priority for the Department for International Development (DFID). The Department supported the 2011 elections which were seen as the most credible in Nigeria's history. Specifically, we helped strengthen the Election Commission and helped with a new voter register of 73 million people. We also supported an innovative and successful mobile phone monitoring system. The Election Commission Chair thanked us for
	“unprecedented co-operation we received from the DFID team in Nigeria.”
	We will continue to support the aspirations of ordinary Nigerians for a better functioning democracy. We will support further strengthening of the Electoral Commission to better manage elections. We will also help increase women's participation in politics and do all we can to help reduce election violence in the future.

Overseas Aid

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much the Government has contributed to the (a) International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, (b) International Development Association, (c) International Finance Corporation, (d) Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency and (e) International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes since 1999.

Alan Duncan: Since 1999, the UK Government have contributed £4.66 billion to (a) International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), (b) International Development Association (IDA), (c) International Finance Corporation (IFC), (d) Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) and (e) International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID).
	
		
			 Institution £ million 
			 IBRD 204.7 
			 IDA 4,436.4 
			 IFC 4.9 
			 MIGA 13.8 
			 ICSID 0.0 
			 Total 4,659.8

Thailand: Overseas Aid

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the delivery of humanitarian aid provided by his Department to Thailand.

Alan Duncan: The Department for International Development (DFID) is not at present providing any humanitarian aid to Thailand. The Thai authorities have not sought humanitarian assistance from the UK with respect to the current flooding emergency in Bangkok. DFID however continues to monitor the situation closely.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Balkans: Politics and Government

Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government are taking to promote regional co-operation in the Balkans.

David Lidington: The Government are actively committed to promoting regional co-operation in the Balkans. Regional co-operation is crucial to the stability and prosperity of the region. It is an essential requirement for progress towards EU accession under the EU's Stabilisation and Association Process (SAP). We remain firmly supportive of the SAP, as well as other initiatives aimed at promoting co-operation. An important example of the latter is the EU-facilitated dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia, aimed at normalising co-operation between the two countries. We have also welcomed initiatives such as the 2010 Istanbul Declaration, establishing a mechanism for regular political dialogue between Serbia, Turkey and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the Brdo process, established by Croatia and Slovenia as a forum for regional dialogue. We are also using UK conflict prevention funding to support regional projects.

Egypt: Religious Freedom

Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department is taking to encourage the Egyptian Government to offer protection for religious minorities in Egypt.

Jeremy Browne: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, the right hon. Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), called the Egyptian Foreign Minister on 12 October to discuss the situation in Egypt, including his concerns about the unrest in Cairo on 9 October and action that the Egyptian Government were taking to address the violence. He also issued a statement about the 9 October incident, in which he said that the freedom of religious belief needs to be protected and that the ability to worship in peace is a vital component of a democratic society.
	During his visit to Egypt on 20 October, the Deputy Prime Minister discussed sectarian tension with the Egyptian Government, including measures being taken to address its causes. We will continue to press the Egyptian authorities to promote religious tolerance, revisit policies which discriminate against anyone on the basis of their religion, and enshrine respect for human rights in the constitution, including guarantees for minority rights.

European Union

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his statement of 24 October 2011, Official Report, column 54, on European Council, if he will specify those areas where he believes that European integration has gone too far.

David Lidington: The Government have commenced work on an examination of the balance of the EU's existing competences in line with the commitment set out in the coalition agreement. An area of particular concern for the Government is the extent and impact of EU social and employment legislation on business.
	We committed in our coalition agreement to limit the application of the working time directive in the UK. The current economic climate means that now, more than ever, we must provide employers and employees alike with maximum flexibility. Negotiations are expected to start later this year between trade unions and business representatives. Ministers have made it clear that the individual opt-out available under this instrument must remain workable and without burdensome constraints.
	As regards the proposed pregnant workers directive the Government are clear that none of us needs, this directive—minimum standards in the 1992 directive are sufficient. We should not be imposing extra costs on our businesses at this time of economic challenge.
	In respect of the ongoing negotiations on the proposed posted workers directive, the Government's view is that we want to achieve an outcome consistent with single market objectives while ensuring that neither our national competence on industrial action rights nor our light touch labour market regulatory compliance regime is undermined.

Iran: Baha'i Faith

Simon Reevell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has made representations to the Iranian Government on the recent trial and sentences received by seven Baha'i educators in Iran associated with the Baha'i Institute for Higher Education; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: I refer my hon. Friend to my answer of 27 October 2011, Official Report, column 305W.

Iran: Sentencing

Simon Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has made representations to the Government of Iran regarding the sentencing of Marzieh Vafamehr for her role in the film My Tehran for Sale; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 31 October 2011, Official Report, column 375-376W.

Nuclear Weapons: Proliferation

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the Royal Society's proposal that his Department establish a non-proliferation and nuclear security network.

Alistair Burt: The Government are committed to tackling the challenges of nuclear proliferation and the risk of terrorists acquiring nuclear material. We recognise the importance of fostering collaboration between Government Departments, academia and industry in order to meet these challenges, and significant work already takes place in this regard that we would not wish to duplicate. For example, the Government's key needs for technical advice and related support on nuclear non-proliferation and nuclear security issues are met through the cross-Government arrangements that were announced in the strategic defence and security review (SDSR). Co-ordination and oversight are provided through the Cabinet Office chaired counter proliferation committee, which reports to the National Security Council. My Department also engages with industry, science and academic forums on nuclear security best practice and professional development, notably as part of the Nuclear Security Summit process, and regularly briefs non-governmental organisations, industry, university students and international partners on this Government's non-proliferation and nuclear security priorities. In addition, the newly-formed cross-Whitehall International Civil Nuclear Group provides a focal point for relevant organisations, industry and UK posts overseas to foster collaboration and international partnerships.

Serbia

Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the readiness of Serbia to join the EU.

David Lidington: As I noted on 12 October, when the European Commission published its most recent report on the EU's Enlargement Strategy together with its Opinion on Serbia's Application for EU membership, the Government remain clear that the future of all countries of the Western Balkans is in the EU once the full range of criteria have been met. We continue firmly to support Serbia's EU aspirations.
	I welcome the progress that Serbia has made to date, including in relation to co-operation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY). The Commission's Opinion on Serbia sets out this progress, alongside recommendations for further work on regional cooperation as well as the full range of reforms. The Commission's recommendations at this stage include swift re-engagement in the EU-facilitated dialogue with Kosovo and implementation of agreements reached to date, and a requirement for further steps to normalise its relations with Kosovo. The Government encourage Serbia to address these recommendations and maintain efforts towards meeting the EU's membership criteria in full.

Sri Lanka

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State most recently visited Sir Lanka; which Ministers and officials in the Government of Sri Lanka he met; whether the export of military, security or police equipment was discussed; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: I visited Sri Lanka between 21 and 23 February. I met the Economic Development Minister, Basil Rajapaksa, Defence Secretary, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, and Foreign Minister, GL Peiris. I also met members of the Tamil National Alliance and the United National Party. The export of military, security and police equipment was not discussed.

Sri Lanka: Human Rights

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has received reports of human rights abuses committed against those of Tamil origin in Sri Lanka since May 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: We continue to have concerns about human rights in Sri Lanka. These are detailed in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Human Rights and Democracy Report 2010, where Sri Lanka is listed as a country of concern. Our high commission in Colombo continues to monitor the situation.
	We consistently raise our concerns with the Sri Lankan Government, most recently when I spoke to the Sri Lankan Foreign Minister on 20 October. We also regularly urge the Sri Lankan Government to improve the human rights situation for vulnerable groups, to investigate incidents and to prosecute those responsible.

Tibet: Human Rights

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions his Department has had with the Government of China on (a) the human rights situation in Tibet and (b) the well-being of Lobsang Kalsang, Lobsang Konchok and Kalsang Wangchuk; and if he will make a statement.

Jeremy Browne: Tibet was discussed at the last round of the UK-China Human Rights dialogue in January 2011, and the dialogue also included an expert workshop on minority rights and languages, an area of particular relevance to Tibet. Ministers have regularly raised our concerns about the human rights situation in Tibet with China at the highest political levels.
	We are particularly concerned at recent reports that a nun and young monks, including Lobsang Kalsang, Lobsang Konchock and Kalsang Wangchuk, in Tibetan areas of Sichuan province have self-immolated. I have written to the Chinese ambassador in April this year raising my concerns regarding the situation at the Kirti monastery. More recently Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials have raised their concerns with the Chinese embassy in London and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beijing, urging the Chinese Government to work with local monasteries and communities to resolve the grievances which have led to these self-immolations. Our embassy officials in China make regular visits to Tibetan areas, and have done so recently. We have kept in frequent contact with the Foreign Affairs Office in Sichuan and local Public Security Bureau offices regarding access to these areas.
	Our consistent position has been that long-term stability can only be achieved through respect for human rights and genuine autonomy for Tibet within the framework of the Chinese constitution. Meaningful dialogue between the Dalai Lama's representatives and the Chinese authorities is the best way to make this happen.

UN Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons

Martin Caton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department has taken to ensure that the draft protocol on cluster munitions under negotiation in the UN convention on certain conventional weapons does not contradict or undermine the standard established in the 2008 convention on cluster munitions.

Jeremy Browne: During the negotiations and drafting of the protocol to its current state, we have been mindful of the need to ensure that we can comply with the final draft as a signatory to the convention on cluster munitions. It is with this in mind that we have contributed to the development of the text. We have supported, along with other states, an “endeavour clause” in article 13 of the draft protocol as a means to bridge the two texts. Furthermore, we have supported the inclusion of article 1.3 to ensure that signatories to any future CCW protocol on cluster munitions do not have any rights or obligations to the convention on cluster munitions compromised.

UN Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons

Martin Caton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which of the cluster munitions the UK has possessed in the last 30 years (a) would and (b) would not be prohibited under the provisions of the draft protocol on cluster munitions under negotiation at the UN Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons.

Jeremy Browne: In the last 30 years, the UK has possessed five major types of cluster munition, as defined in the Cluster Munitions (Prohibitions) Act 2010 which implemented the Convention on Cluster Munitions for the UK. Of these five types possessed:
	(a) Four of them, the BL755 range of air-delivered bombs, the Dual Purpose Improved Conventional Munition 155 mm M483A1, the M26 munition for the Multi Launch Rocket System and the CRV-7 Multi-Purpose Sub-Munition from the Harrier and Attack Helicopter would be prohibited under the provisions of the draft protocol on cluster munitions under negotiation at the UN Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons.
	(b) The remaining cluster munition type, the M85 from the Extended Range Bomblet Shell for the AS90 gun would not be prohibited under the provisions of the draft Protocol on cluster munitions under negotiation at the UN Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons. This is because it has a self-destruct mechanism, in accordance with Annex B para 1(a) of the draft Protocol.

UN Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons

Martin Caton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what timescale would govern the prohibition of any weapons for states adopting the draft protocol on cluster munitions under negotiation in the UN Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons.

Jeremy Browne: On its entry into force the Protocol as currently drafted would immediately prohibit the use and transfer of cluster munitions produced before 1980, and immediately prohibit the production and development of cluster munitions with no safety mechanisms, i.e. no self-destruct or self-neutralisation features on its sub-munitions. These prohibitions cannot be deferred.
	The draft protocol would also prohibit the use of cluster munitions with no safety mechanisms, but this can be deferred up to a maximum of 12 years, in order to give countries with large stockpiles the time to destroy stocks and replace by other means the necessary military capability.

UN Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons

Martin Caton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his policy is on ratification of the UN Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons protocol on cluster munitions in its current form; and whether he would require any changes to be made to the draft before ratification.

Jeremy Browne: A decision on whether the UK. will give its consent to be bound by a prospective sixth Protocol to the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) will be reached if and when a final text is agreed. Negotiations on the text will continue at the November CCW Review Conference. In line with our long-standing policy, the UK will continue to push for a text that delivers a significant humanitarian effect and that is both compatible with, and complementary to, the Convention on Cluster Munitions.

USA: Cluster Munitions

Martin Caton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what authorisation is required for US trans-shipment of cluster munitions through (a) Diego Garcia and (b) other UK territories; and whether any such trans-shipment has occurred since 2009.

Jeremy Browne: Section 8 of the Cluster Munitions (Prohibitions) Act permits the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, the right hon. Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), to grant authorisation for visiting forces of states not party to the Convention on Cluster Munitions to possess cluster munitions on or transfer them through UK territory. The only request for authorisation to temporarily transfer and stockpile, according to Article 8 of the Act, was received from the United States State Department. The then Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, the right hon. Member for South Shields (David Miliband), granted authorisation in order to permit the United States to transfer cluster munitions out of UK territory, in accordance with our agreement that they would remove all stockpiles from the UK by 2010 and from all UK territory by 2013. This has been completed ahead of schedule—there are no US stockpiles on any UK territory.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

BAE Systems

Jake Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to assist skilled former employees of BAE Systems into employment following the recent redundancies announced by that company.

Mark Prisk: The Government are working with BAE Systems to support the individuals affected by the job losses, offering them training and job search support through the Skills Funding Agency, the Jobcentre Plus Rapid Response Service and Next Step careers advice. We are also working with the Lancashire and Humber Local Enterprise Partnerships on two potential new enterprise zones to support the local economies.
	In 2010 we formed the Skills and Jobs Retention Group, led by industry, to help skilled workers find new jobs in manufacturing. The group operates a new national web based exchange, the Talent Retention Solution (TRS), across UK advanced manufacturing, engineering and construction sectors to help match skilled employees with vacancies in other industrial companies. Leading companies, trade associations, trade unions and Sector Skills Councils are all supporting the implementation of TRS. We expect several thousand vacancies to be on the system within the next two to three weeks.
	The National Apprenticeship Service and the Skills Funding Agency are also working together with employers to try and find alternative placements for those apprentices at risk of redundancy.

Bankruptcy: Arts

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many (a) arts organisations and (b) design companies were declared bankrupt in each month since September 2008.

Edward Davey: Corporate insolvencies are published on a quarterly basis broken down by the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC 2003), which does not separately identify arts organisations or design companies.

Business

Gordon Birtwistle: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the finding of the British Chambers of Commerce Workforce Survey: Small Businesses, that employment regulation on dismissal, health and safety and sickness absence has the effect of restricting growth and recruitment of staff.

Edward Davey: The Department is leading the cross-Government employment law review and is looking at all evidence about the operation of the underpinning legislative framework and burdens on business, including from business representative groups, trade unions and other stakeholders. A key objective of the review is making it easier for a business to take on staff. The review will also consider ideas that emerge from the Red Tape Challenge aimed at facilitating the recruitment of employees by businesses. In addition, the Government have asked Dame Carol Black and David Frost to carry out an independent review looking at ways to reduce sickness absence which will report shortly and which will feed into the wider employment law review. Separately, Professor Ragnar Lofstedt is chairing the independent review of health and safety legislation, which is considering the evidence for reducing the burden of health and safety legislation on UK businesses.

Business

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions he has had on simplifying the audit requirements of small and medium-sized companies.

Edward Davey: European directives set out the law on audit requirements for companies registered in the EU. On 6 October the Department for Business Innovation and Skills published a consultation document and impact assessment setting out proposals to remove gold plating of these directives which would result in a reduction of the number of companies subject to compulsory audit and a consequent saving for UK businesses of £612 million per year.

Business

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills when he expects to publish the results of the growth review consultation on reducing the burdens faced by small business.

Mark Prisk: The current consultation by the Department for Business Innovation and Skills on “Audit exemptions and change of accounting framework” will close on Thursday 29 December. The Department will publish a summary of responses to the consultation within 12 weeks of that date. The consultation document was published on 6 October and is available at:
	www.bis.gov.uk/consultations

Business: Community Development

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assistance his Department provides to businesses wishing to support local social initiatives.

Edward Davey: Business responsibility is vital for sustainable growth. Under ‘Every Business Commits’, we are supporting businesses in engaging with their communities by identifying priorities, promoting good practice and working to increase access to advice for businesses and communities.
	We are also committed to delivering business and community benefits by promoting social enterprise. At local level, we have encouraged the action local enterprise partnerships (LEP) are taking to recognise the social enterprise sector—for example, by including social enterprise representatives on LEP boards, and providing Regional Development Fund support for community development finance institutions.

Business: Finance

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent assessment his Department has made of the ability of small businesses to access finance.

Mark Prisk: The Department's August 2011 Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) Business Barometer Survey shows that 16% of SME employers (i.e. excluding sole traders) have tried to obtain external finance in the previous six months. The majority of SMEs seeking finance are able to obtain the finance they need, with a minority not being able to raise any finance. For instance, of those seeking finance, 21% were unable to obtain any finance from any source approached. This is at a similar level to the previous February 2011 Business Barometer Survey, and is equivalent to around 4% of all SME employers overall.

Business: Finance

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on his proposed credit easing scheme.

Mark Prisk: The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, my right hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), regularly meets the Chancellor of the Exchequer, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne), to discuss a variety of issues.
	The Chancellor of the Exchequer will be announcing further details on his proposals in the Autumn Statement.

Companies

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of any relationship between (a) senior executive remuneration and (b) company profitability and shareholder value; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Davey: On 19 September, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills published a discussion paper on executive remuneration. The paper explores the link between executive pay and company performance and invites views on how this link can be strengthened. Submissions are being sought by 25 November, after which the Government will consider their response.

Companies

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions he has had with his EU counterparts on changing the minimum reporting requirements in the fourth Company Law Directive.

Edward Davey: The Government are committed to reducing the burden reporting requirements place on business. We have been fully engaged in discussions about amendments to the reporting requirements set out in the fourth Company Law Directive and will continue to be so.

Companies

Ian Davidson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which companies represented on the UK trade delegation joined him in attending the annual meeting of the Joint Economic and Trade Committee in India in January 2011.

Mark Prisk: The following organisations represented the UK at the Joint Economic and Trade Committee in January 2011:
	3i
	A4E
	Agusta Westland
	ARM
	Arup
	Association of Colleges
	BAE Systems
	Balfour Beatty plc
	Birmingham Airport
	BT
	Burton College
	Cambridge University
	Cardionetics
	Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT)
	City and Guilds
	Delcam
	Edexcel
	Halcrow
	Intelligent Energy
	International Agri-Technology Centre (IATC)
	Jattek Systems
	JCB Sales Ltd
	KPMG LLP
	Learning and Skills Network
	Marks & Spencer
	Mishcon de Reya Solicitors
	Sembcorp
	Serco Group plc
	Standard Chartered
	The Logistics Business
	The Technology Partnership
	TVET UK
	UKIBC
	Vinci plc

Consumers

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to increase protection of consumer interests; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Davey: This Department has secured a reasonable outcome to European negotiations on the Consumer Rights Directive, whereby key existing UK consumer rights were protected and rights were even increased in some areas, notably to prevent over-charging for use of means of payment such as credit and debit cards. We will soon be consulting on how we implement this measure into UK law.
	We have also decided to bring forward domestic legislation later in the Parliament to bring about a major simplification of consumer law and make rights easier to exercise, for example making it easier for vulnerable consumers, tricked into signing contracts under duress, to get their money back.
	The Government are carrying out a review of consumer credit and personal insolvency, looking at what works and what areas could be improved. We want well-informed, empowered consumers who can make good decisions such as finding the best credit card or loan deal and when to borrow and who to borrow from. In July we published our full response on personal insolvency issues and our interim response on consumer credit. We will publish our final response before the end of the year.
	We have also just completed a consultation on simplifying the consumer landscape so that individuals are clearer about who to turn to for advice on consumer issues and to ensure that they are properly protected through consumer redress. We are currently analysing the responses and will make decisions about the future consumer landscape in due course.

Copyright: Art Works

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he proposes that the Artist's Resale Right will be extended to the estates of deceased artists from 1 January 2012; and what assessment he has made of the monetary value to such estates of such an extension.

Edward Davey: The Artist's Resale Right (ARR) Directive was agreed in 2001, and implemented through UK law in 2006. Under the terms of the directive, the UK was able to delay the full implementation of the right (payments on the sales of works by deceased artists) until 2012. Without reopening the directive, there is no option to delay full implementation beyond that date.
	An evaluation of the effect of extending the ARR to estates of deceased artists can be found on the independent study commissioned by the Government “Study into the effect of the UK art market of the introduction of the artist's resale right 2008”, which forecasts resale right payments to increase fourfold when payments to deceased artists commence in 2012. This is expected to reach some £12 million a year in a market with an annual turnover of around £8 billion.

Copyright: Art Works

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  what discussions he has had with his (a) ministerial colleagues and (b) EU counterparts on the extension of the artist's resale right to the estates of deceased artists from 1 January 2012;
	(2)  what discussions he has had with his (a) ministerial colleagues and (b) EU counterparts on the extension of the artist's resale right to the estates of deceased artists from 1 January 2012.

Edward Davey: The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, my right hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), has met from time to time ministerial colleagues, principally the Minister for Intellectual Property, Baroness Wilcox, to discuss the UK's approach to the issue. The Secretary of State has not personally discussed the matter with his EU counterparts.

Departmental Assets

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent discussions he has had on the future of organisations which are assets of Yorkshire Forward.

Mark Prisk: In the course of agreeing arrangements for the closure of the regional development agencies, the Department's officials have regular discussions with Yorkshire Forward and others about the future of the organisations in which that agency has an interest.

Procurement

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking to take account of (a) socio-economic factors and (b) potential revenues for the Exchequer in the awarding of contracts.

Edward Davey: Public sector procurers are required to assess value for money from the perspective of the contracting authority using criteria linked to the subject matter of the contract, including compliance with the published specification.
	Wider socio-economic benefits that do not accrue to the contracting authority cannot be taken into account at tender evaluation stage as they do not relate to the subject matter of a contract from the point of view of the contracting authority.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he receives any external funding for (a) his Ministerial office and (b) his advisers; and what the (i) source and (ii) amount is of any such funding.

Edward Davey: The ministerial office and special advisers are funded by the Department.

Departmental Responsibilities

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills at how many events organised by (a) charities, (b) other civil society groups, (c) businesses and (d) lobbying organisations Ministers and senior officials in his Department have given speeches in each month since May 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Davey: The Department's Ministers make over 1,000 speeches each year. There would be a disproportionate cost to enumerate and categorise every speaking occasion but keynote speeches are posted on the Department's website:
	http://www.bis.gov.uk/news/speeches

Telephone Services

Stephen Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much his Department has allocated to each telephone helpline funded by his Department in 2011-12; what the purpose is of each such helpline; and how many calls each helpline received in the last 12 months.

Edward Davey: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Llanelli (Nia Griffith) on 10 October 2011, Official Report, columns 263-4W.
	In terms of helplines operated by the Department:
	The central Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) inquiry line (020 7215 5000) has taken 77,518 calls in the last 12 months.
	0845 015 0010 BIS publications order line has taken 3,238 calls in the last 12 months.
	0845 015 0020 BIS publications order line (fax) has taken 88 calls in the last 12 months.
	0845 015 0030 BIS publications order line (minicom) has taken 101 calls in the last 12 months.
	The United Kingdom Trade and Investment (UKTI) help line has taken 18,475 calls in the last 12 months.

Domestic Violence

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what definition of domestic violence his Department uses; and what steps he has taken to support companies in protecting their workforce from domestic violence.

Edward Davey: In 2004, the Government introduced a single definition of domestic violence replacing the previous 14 different definitions in use across Government and the public sector.
	The current cross-Government definition defines domestic violence as:
	“any incident of threatening behaviour, violence or abuse psychological, physical, sexual, financial or emotional between adults who are or have been intimate partners or family members, regardless of gender or sexuality”.
	BIS uses this definition for its own internal policies and, as an employer, is a member of the Corporate Alliance Against Domestic Violence. Sources of help provided to BIS staff include the Department's Employee Assistance Programme and national numbers for domestic violence victims.
	The policy for victims of domestic violence is the responsibility of the Home Office.

EU External Trade: India

Ian Davidson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 27 June 2011, Official Report, column 621W, on EU external trade: India, what assessment has been made of the potential effects of the proposed free trade agreement on employment levels in the (a) transport and (b) offshore energy sectors.

Edward Davey: The EU's sustainability impact assessment addresses the likely impact of an EU-India free trade agreement, including on employment levels. It does not estimate the effect on employment in the transport or offshore energy sectors specifically, but the predicted overall impact on employment levels is low.

EU External Trade: India

Ian Davidson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 27 June 2011, Official Report, column 621W, on EU external trade: India, if he will publish a sectoral analysis of the estimated net £2 billion benefit to the UK economy over the next 10 years of a free trade agreement between the EU and India; and what estimate he has made of the effect on employment in each sector of the agreement.

Edward Davey: The estimated £2 billion of benefits to the UK over 10 years from an ambitious EU-India free trade agreement (FTA) are derived from the EU's trade sustainability impact assessment (SIA). The SIA
	http://trade.ec.europa.eu/doclib/docs/2009/june/tradoc_143372.pdf
	suggests that the overall impact on employment from an EU-India FTA will be low. Sectors that are likely to benefit include transport equipment, metals, processed foods and beverages/tobacco, while vulnerable sectors include clothing, leather goods and aspects of electronic equipment.

EU External Trade: India

Ian Davidson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 27 June 2011, Official Report, column 621W, on EU external trade: India, what steps he plans to take to ensure that the free trade agreement provides protection for the employment rights of Indian nationals holding intra-company transfer visas to work in the UK.

Edward Davey: The EU-India free trade agreement is still under negotiation.
	We expect commitments on the entry and stay of intra-company transfers to be covered in the Mode 4 element of the agreement. We expect these commitments to contain provisions based on those in the EU services offer in the Doha round which clarify that all other requirements of EU and member state laws and regulations regarding entry, stay, work and social security measures shall continue to apply.

EU External Trade: India

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the potential effects on rates of pay of Mode 4 of the proposed EU-India Free Trade Agreement.

Edward Davey: The EU-India free trade agreement is still under negotiation. We expect the agreement to be consistent with the increased minimum salary requirements for intra-company transfers introduced by the Government and for there to be provisions in the agreement to allow for the operation of wage parity testing.

EU External Trade: India

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions he has had with trades unions on Mode 4 of the proposed EU-India Free Trade Agreement.

Edward Davey: The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, my right hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), regularly meets the TUC General Secretary to discuss issues of mutual interest. Recent meetings have included discussions on the proposed free trade agreement between the EU and India, including Mode 4 issues.

EU External Trade: India

Ian Davidson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 27 June 2011, Official Report, column 621W, on EU external trade: India, what protections will be incorporated in the proposed free trade agreement between the EU and India for domestic employment levels in (a) EU member states and (b) the UK.

Edward Davey: The EU's sustainability impact assessment assesses the likely impact on EU employment of an EU-India free trade agreement (FTA) as low, which would also apply to UK employment levels. An FTA will include a sustainable development chapter which will contain provisions on labour standards. We expect the agreement to be consistent with the increased minimum salary requirements for intra-company transfers introduced by the Government and for there to be provisions in the agreement to allow for the operation of wage parity testing.

Export Credits Guarantee Department

Duncan Hames: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which Ministers have attended the management board meetings of the Export Credits Guarantee Department since April 2010.

Edward Davey: No Minister has attended a meeting of the Export Credits Guarantee Department‘s (ECGD's) Management Board since April 2010. Since 2004, ECGD's Management Board has consisted of senior ECGD officials, a non-executive chair and non-executive directors drawn from the private sector. It is accountable to the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, my right hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable).

Green Investment Bank

Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent representations he has received on locating the headquarters of the Green Investment Bank in Cardiff; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Prisk: 16 cities and towns, including Cardiff, have indicated that they would like to be considered as the location for the Green Investment Bank. The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, my right hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), will set out further details of the criteria and process for determining the location of the Green Investment Bank before Christmas, with a view to a final decision in 2012.

Higher Education

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the drop-out rates at (a) public funded universities and (b) for-profit organisations providing higher education in (i) the US and (ii) the UK.

Edward Davey: The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) performance indicators provide information on student retention for publicly funded higher education institutions in the UK:
	http://www.hesa.ac.uk/index.php?option= com_content&task=view&id=2064&ltemid=141
	The latest available information is for the 2008/09 academic year. Figures for the 2009/10 academic year will become available from HESA in April 2012.
	HESA do not collect equivalent information on for-profit institutions or non-UK institutions.
	The Higher Education White Paper: ‘Students at the Heart of the System’ set out the expectation that, under the future regulatory system, all providers who are designated for student support will be required to publish a range of information about their courses and student outcomes.
	The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) statistics show that, compared internationally, the UK has relatively high completion rates for higher education. For example, ‘Education at a Glance 2010’ shows a completion rate for ‘type A’ (more academic) first degrees of 81% in the UK—compared with an OECD average of 70% and a US figure of 57%. See Indicator 4 (Table A 4.1) at:
	http://www.oecd.org/document/52/0,3746,en_2649_39263238_45897844_1_1_1_1,00.html
	However, because of differences in definitions and recording, it is difficult to make direct comparisons between countries. OECD statistics do not differentiate between publicly funded and for-profit providers.

Korea: EU Countries

Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent assessment he has made of the potential economic benefits to the UK of the EU-Korea Free Trade Agreement.

Edward Davey: The Department completed an impact assessment of the potential benefits of the EU-Korea free trade agreement which showed that the UK will gain an estimated £500 million a year in gross domestic product (GDP) from the EU-Korea free trade agreement.
	The impact assessment was submitted to Parliament in June 2010.

Labour Market

Gordon Birtwistle: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what comparative assessment he has made of the flexibility of the UK labour market and that of (a) other EU member states and (b) the US; and what assessment he has made of the potential effect of differences between such markets on (i) domestic investment and (ii) job creation.

Edward Davey: The Department has examined as far as possible all of the comparable international evidence on labour market flexibility. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Jobs Study Review of 2006 summarises most of this evidence in ‘Boosting Jobs and Income—Policy Lessons from Reassessing the OECD Jobs Strategy’ and I draw attention to some of the following conclusions in it, as follows:
	“The experience over the past two decades shows that there is no single combination of policies and institutions to achieve and maintain good labour market performance. For example, it is not necessary that all individual policies are aimed at strong labour market performance, provided that adverse stances in some policy areas are more than compensated for by favourable settings in other areas, e.g. by exploiting policy interactions. This allows some scope to tailor policy packages to suit national preferences with respect to equity, risk-taking and other objectives. However, in practice there are few feasible policy combinations to achieve satisfactory employment outcomes”.
	The study also identified the UK as a ‘successful employment performer’ and suggested that it fell into a group of countries that are ‘market reliant’ and include light employment protection in their policy package. Australia, Canada, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, Switzerland and the United States are the other countries identified in this group by the OECD.
	The OECD also identified another group of countries as ‘successful performers’ with different but successful policy packages. These include Austria, Denmark, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden.
	The Government, through its employment law and growth reviews, aim to build upon this and foster greater employment and growth.

Overseas Trade

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many visits to overseas trade shows by representatives of small and medium-sized businesses his Department funded in (a) 2009-10 and (b) 2010-11; how many he expects to fund in (i) 2011-12, (ii) 2012-13 and (iii) 2013-14; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Prisk: The following number of small and medium-sized enterprises were given funding through UK Trade and Investment's (UKTI) Tradeshow Access programme (TAP) to attend overseas trade shows:
	2009/10: 5,239 grants to 4,100 individual businesses.
	2010/11: 5,228 grants to 4,121 individual businesses.
	The forecast for 2011/12 is 3,600 grants to 3,000 individual businesses.
	Subject to finalisation of UKTI’s business plan, the target for 2012/13 will be to support 3,000 individual businesses. UKTI has not yet set a target for TAP in 2013/14.

Post Offices

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  how many (a) prosecutions and (b) investigations of postmasters instigated by Post Office Ltd as a result of apparent financial irregularities on the Horizon computer system have subsequently been abandoned;
	(2)  how many complaints Post Office Ltd has received from subpostmasters concerning difficulties with the Horizon computer system in each of the last five years;
	(3)  whether any operational faults have been identified with the Horizon computer system used by Post Office Ltd since its introduction; and what action has been taken to resolve any such faults;
	(4)  what the monetary value is in current prices of the (a) original estimate and (b) final cost of the Post Office Horizon computer system; and what additional costs at current prices have been incurred since its completion.

Edward Davey: Operational responsibility for the Post Office Horizon computer system rests with the company. I have therefore asked Paula Vennells, the managing director of Post Office Ltd, to respond directly to the hon. Member and a copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Social Enterprises

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions he has had on promoting social enterprises in the area for which his Department is responsible in each month since May 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Davey: This Department is responsible for enterprise, including promoting social enterprise as a growing enterprise sector. Following a discussion with the Minister for Civil Society, my hon. Friend the Member for Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner (Mr Hurd), in June 2011, he and I hosted roundtable discussions in June and September respectively with social enterprises and other stakeholders, to inform our development of plans in this area.

Students: Loans

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the efficiency of the Student Loans Company in processing student loan applications at the beginning of the academic year; and if he will make a statement.

David Willetts: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills reviews the performance and efficiency of the Student Loans Company (SLC) on an ongoing basis and SLC is committed to continuously improving the quality of service it delivers.
	For the 2011/12 academic year, SLC had by 14 October received 1,001,000 eligible applications for core financial support from English-domiciled students and had prepared 904,000 (90%) for payment to be made once attendance on the course had been confirmed by the university or college. Of those prepared for payment, 874,000 (97%) have received the full entitlement or will receive the full entitlement once attendance has been confirmed.
	865,000 applications prepared for payment include a maintenance support entitlement, and of these 814,000 (94%) have now been paid. These figures were published by the SLC on 25 October and are available at:
	http://www.slc.co.uk/pdf/SLCOSP102011.pdf
	This is an improvement on previous years, thanks in part to processing improvements introduced by SLC this year, including a largely automated reassessment process for returning students who applied for non-means-tested support and whose circumstances have not changed and the introduction of an electronic link with Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs to automatically verify household income, meaning SLC was able to process the majority of new students' applications for means-tested support without asking customers to send in paper copies of financial evidence.

Supermarkets: Competition

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many times representatives of his Department have met representatives of (a) Tesco, (b) Sainsbury's, (c) Asda, (d) Morrisons and (e) trade associations of which these companies are members to discuss the proposed Groceries Code Adjudicator since his appointment.

Edward Davey: Since my appointment, I and the Department’s officials have met on numerous occasions those large retailers and the relevant trade associations, as well as a broad range of other stakeholders, to discuss the Groceries Code Adjudicator.

Unemployment: Mining

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of long-term trends in unemployment in former mining and steel communities.

Chris Grayling: I have been asked to reply.
	My Department has carried out research on unemployment in former coalfield areas. In general, unemployment rates are higher in local authorities containing large coalfield areas compared with Great Britain overall but the long-term trends are broadly similar. The Department has not conducted equivalent research into former steel communities.

TRANSPORT

Test Fees

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when her Department will publish its response to its recent consultation on test fees.

Michael Penning: The Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) expects to publish its response to the recent consultation on fees towards the end of the year.

Birmingham Airport: Railway Stations

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether (a) she and (b) officials in her Department have had discussions with representatives of Network Rail on the re-naming of Birmingham International Station as Birmingham Airport.

Norman Baker: No, in both cases.

Dartford-Thurrock Crossing: Tolls

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport with reference to the letter from the Under-Secretary of State for Roads and Motoring of 9 September 2011, reference MC/13916, what estimate has been made of the likely change in the volume of traffic at the Dartford river crossing compared to 2003 if the tolls are (a) halved and (b) doubled.

Michael Penning: A 2001 report for the Department for Transport estimated the impacts on weekday, 12 hour two-way traffic flows at the Dartford crossing under different tolling scenarios.
	The report indicated that forecast traffic flows, compared with forecast 2003 levels, would reduce by 7.4% if toll levels were doubled, would increase by 3.7% if toll levels were halved, and would increase by 17.6% if tolls were removed.

Dartford-Thurrock Crossing: Tolls

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will estimate the likely change in the volume of traffic using the Blackwall tunnel if tolls at the Dartford river crossing were doubled.

Michael Penning: In June 2011 the Department for Transport published for consultation its proposals for revising the road user charging regime at the Dartford-Thurrock river crossing. The consultation period closed on 23 September 2011, and all the responses made are currently being considered.
	The Department's proposals did not include a proposition to double the current level of road user charges, and the Department has not therefore estimated the likely change in the volume of traffic using the Blackwall tunnel in such circumstances.

Dartford-Thurrock Crossing: Tolls

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport in what year officials from (a) her Department and (b) the Highways Agency first gave consideration to (i) continuing with charges at the Dartford river crossing after a sum had been collected to cover future maintenance charges and (ii) offering discounts for river crossings made by residents living in Dartford and Thurrock.

Michael Penning: The then Government's 1998 White Paper on the Future of Transport—‘A New Deal for Transport: Better for Everyone’—set out their intention to consult on the continuation of road user charging at the Dartford crossing, recognising that the powers to toll road users at Dartford were time limited.
	In December 2006, the Department's consultation on proposals to change the road user charging regime at the crossing included a proposal for the introduction of appropriate measures to benefit local people to ensure a fair return for those who experience adverse effects of the crossing.
	In February 2008, following consideration of the views provided, the Department published for consultation, details of a proposed discounted charges regime for local residents using the Dartford crossing.

Dartford-Thurrock Crossing: Tolls

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport for what purpose moneys from the fund to cover reasonable future maintenance charges at the Dartford river crossing established under the powers to collect tolls of the Dartford-Thurrock Crossing Act 1988 is being used; and on what date the amount required to fund such maintenance was reached.

Michael Penning: The Dartford-Thurrock Crossing Act 1988 enacted a public finance initiative concession for a period of 20 years from 31 July 1988, but could be ended as soon as the debt was repaid. The Secretary of State determined that all financial commitments had been met by 31 March 2002.
	The Dartford-Thurrock Act 1988, schedule 16, (4) (1) contains the provision for a toll extension period for the collection of tolls to provide a fund for future maintenance of the crossing. An extension agreement between the concessionaire and the Secretary of State was in place from 4 March 1999 and allowed the toll extension period to run from 1 April 2002 to 31 March 2003. For the period of the extension agreement, the Highways Agency records show the sum of £68,363,698.02 received. All toll revenue during this period was passed over gross to the Department for Transport.
	The extension agreement was for only one year and was not collected thereafter, as the road user charge was introduced from 1 April 2003.

Dartford-Thurrock Crossing: Tolls

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the (a) cost and (b) source of funding for maintenance at the Dartford River Crossing was in each of the last 15 years.

Michael Penning: Since 1 April 2003, the source of funding for the Dartford Crossing has been through the Road User Charge. The Highways Agency produces an account detailing income (funding) and expenditure (costs) on an annual basis. Up to the year ending 31 March 2010, copies should be available in the House of Commons Library or they can also be found on the Highways Agency website.
	The annual account for the year ending 31 March 2011 is currently being completed and should be available early in 2012.
	Prior to 1 April 2003, the source of funding was the toll under the Dartford-Thurrock Crossing Act 1988. Income (funding) and expenditure (costs) would be shown in the annual accounts of the Concessionaire, Dartford River Crossing Ltd, which built the QEII Bridge and then operated the entire Crossing from 1991. Copies of these accounts, if still available, may be obtained through Companies House.

Dartford-Thurrock Crossing: Tolls

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the differences are between the trial to suspend the use of toll booths at the Dartford River Crossing during high congestion or emergencies and the provisions of the A282 Trunk Road (Dartford-Thurrock Crossing Charging Scheme) Order 2008.

Michael Penning: There is no difference. The suspension of the road user charge is in accordance with the Transport Act 2000 (section 172A), under which the Order was made. The protocol sets out the criteria for the suspension of charges at the Dartford Crossing and how the suspension decision is made.

Ministerial Voluntary Work

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what volunteering (a) she and (b) other Ministers in her Department have undertaken as part of the One Day Challenge; what the nature of the work undertaken was; on what dates it took place; and what the names were of the organisations assisted.

Norman Baker: Any volunteering activities undertaken by Ministers in a personal capacity are a matter for them. Relevant interests, which may include voluntary activities, are published by the Cabinet Office in the List of Ministers' Interests.

Driving Offences

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many people in England with 12 or more points on their driving licence were exempted from a driving ban in the latest period for which figures are available.

Michael Penning: holding answer 10 October 2011
	On 14 September 2011, 8,838 drivers in England had 12 or more penalty points on their driving licence record and had not been banned from driving.
	In cases where a driver has accumulated 12 or more penalty points, a court can exercise its discretion and choose not to disqualify the driver.

Driving: Diabetes

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment her Department has made of the merits of establishing a group of expert diabetologists to assess people with diabetes holding or applying for a driving licence on an annual basis; if she will estimate the likely cost of establishing such a group; and what steps she plans to take to ensure that the costs of driving fitness assessments do not fall on the individuals applying for or holding a driving licence. [R]

Michael Penning: Based on the advice of the Secretary of State for Transport’s Honorary Medical Advisory Panel on Driving and Diabetes Mellitus, the Department has made the decision to establish a group of expert Consultant diabetologists. Details of the likely cost of setting up such a group have not yet been finalised but is likely to be small. An interim process will be established to consider applications from those with insulin treated diabetes who wish to drive buses and lorries in the mean time. The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency will pay for these assessments.

Driving: Diabetes

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will bring forward the proposals to ensure that people with diabetes have access to an effective mechanism to challenge the decisions of medical practitioners and expert diabetologists in respect of their fitness to drive made during the annual assessments proposed under the DVLA proposals to amend driving licence standards for vision, diabetes and epilepsy. [R]

Michael Penning: It is the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), not general practitioners or expert diabetologists, that makes decisions on whether an individual is able to meet the appropriate medical standards for driving. The law already provides for appeals to be made through the courts where DVLA has decided to issue a short period licence or revoke/refuse a licence. DVLA will always consider any fresh medical evidence which is provided.

Driving: Diabetes

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport for what reasons DVLA proposals for the implementation of EU Directives 2009/112/EC, 2009/113/EC and 2006/126/EC contain an annual review requirement for people with diabetes treated with insulin which is more stringent than the requirement in the Directives; and what the evidential basis is for this requirement. [R]

Michael Penning: The 12 month licence review refers to Group 2 (lorry and bus) licensing and will be relevant when the current blanket ban on drivers with insulin treated diabetes has been removed. The review period is in line with that deemed appropriate by the expert members of the Secretary of State for Transport‘s Honorary Medical Advisory Panel on Driving and Diabetes Mellitus. Licences will be renewed provided that the appropriate medical standards are met.

Driving: Diabetes

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps she plans to take to ensure that safe drivers retain (a) their driving licences and (b) the opportunity to renew their licences should they not meet the medical standards prescribed by EU directives 2009/112/EC, 2009/113/EC and 2006/126/EC. [R]

Michael Penning: Those who are able to meet the appropriate medical standards can lawfully be licensed to drive. Drivers who do not meet the new standards cannot be licensed to drive. If the driver's health subsequently improves and they can meet the standards, then a new application for a licence can be considered.

Driving: Diabetes

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when she plans to publish the summary of responses to DVLA proposals to amend driving licence standards for vision, diabetes and epilepsy; and when she plans to publish her proposals for further steps on this matter. [R]

Michael Penning: A summary of the responses to the diabetes part of the consultation was published alongside the regulations laid before Parliament on 24 October. The responses on vision and epilepsy will be published next year when those regulations come into force.

Driving: Diabetes

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps she plans to take to ensure that people with diabetes who subsequent to suffering from impaired awareness of hypoglycaemia regain awareness of hypoglycaemia and are otherwise fit to drive can reapply for their driving licence under expedited timescales after the implementation of EU directive 2009/112/EC. [R]

Michael Penning: Applicants who regain awareness of hypoglycaemia and meet all other medical licensing requirements will be eligible to reapply for their licences.

Driving: Diabetes

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions she has had with healthcare professionals for the purpose of ensuring that the term second severe hypoglycaemic episode as contained in EU directive 2009/112/EC is understood and applied consistently by health care professionals and people with diabetes. [R]

Michael Penning: Advice on medical standards is provided by the Secretary of State for Transport's Honorary Medical Panel on Diabetes Mellitus and Driving. Guidance on severe and recurrent hypoglycaemia is already available on the DVLA website and published by DVLA in a booklet ‘At a Glance Guide to the current Medical Standards of Fitness to Drive’. This provides advice to doctors on the medical standard to advise their patients. It is updated twice-yearly and can be downloaded from the DVLA's website free of charge.
	Also, an e-Alert system which sends messages to general practitioners was used to inform around 400,000 health care professionals about the changes proposed by the EU directive to medical standards.

Driving: Diabetes

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions she has had with diabetes charities, organisations and support services on the implementation of EU directives 2009/112/EC, 2009/113/EC and 2006/126/EC. [R]

Michael Penning: DVLA officials were in discussions with Diabetes UK throughout the period of implementation of this directive. The consultation document was sent to a large number of charities and organisations including those who had expressed an interest.

Driving: Diabetes

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps she is taking to ensure that people with diabetes are not excluded from commercial driving occupations. [R]

Michael Penning: Regulations which would permit drivers with insulin-treated diabetes to apply for Group 2 licences (lorries over 7.5 tonnes and buses) were laid before Parliament on 24 October.
	Applicants for licences for other commercial vehicles will be subject to the standards set out in the directive. Those that meet the criteria and do not have any other debarring medical conditions will be licensed.

Driving: Diabetes

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps she has taken to ensure that the effects of the implementation of EU Directives 2009/112/EC, 2009/113/EC and 2006/126/EC do not include substantial numbers of people with diabetes losing their driving licences. [R]

Michael Penning: The Government must implement the minimum health standards included in the EU Directives in 2009. We have approached the EU for confirmation of the intention of the directive in relation to severe hypoglycaemia.
	There will be a number of those with diabetes who will become eligible to apply for a licence to drive buses and lorries for the first time as a result of the relaxation of the medical standards in Directive 2009/112/EC.

Driving: Diabetes

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what legislative proposals she plans to bring forward to amend legislation governing the licensing of drivers to comply with EU Directives 2009/112/EC, 2009/113/EC and 2006/126/EC. [R]

Michael Penning: Great Britain already complies with the minimum requirements of EU Directive 2009/112/EC. The blanket ban imposed on those with insulin treated diabetes, preventing them applying for a group two driving licence, will be removed by regulations laid in Parliament on 24 October.
	No final decisions have been made on changes to the medical standards for epilepsy and vision. However, any changes are not likely to be introduced until 2012.

Driving: Licensing

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will revise her estimate of the number of people with diabetes who may be adversely affected by the changes to the minimum requirements for fitness to drive following the implementation of Commission Directives 2009/112/EC and 2009/113/EC and Directive 2006/126/EC of the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union.

Michael Penning: In the first year since the changes in relation to group one (car and motorcycle) drivers were introduced, 115 drivers have had their applications refused or licences revoked as a direct result of the changes to minimum standards introduced by the directive.

Highways Agency

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when she expects to publish her Department's review of the (a) Highways Agency and (b) Strategic Road Network.

Michael Penning: The independent review of the management of the strategic road network is due to report to the Secretary of State for Transport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Putney (Justine Greening), in November 2011. The report will be published shortly thereafter.

Highways Agency

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what meetings on the Highways Agency Review the non-executive chairman of the Highways Agency has attended since his appointment and which individuals and organisations were present at those meetings.

Michael Penning: The review of the management of the strategic road network is an independent review led by Alan Cook, the non-executive chairman of the Highways Agency.
	The published report will include a list of those individuals and organisations that Alan Cook and his team spoke to in the course of the review.

Highways Agency

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what meetings attended by Ministers in her Department have included an agenda item related to the Highways Agency Review since May 2010; and which individuals and organisations were present at those meetings.

Michael Penning: The review of the management of the strategic road network is an independent review led by Alan Cook, the non- executive chairman of the Highways Agency.
	Since May 2010 Alan Cook and his review team have periodically met the Secretary of State for Transport and I to discuss progress.
	Alan Cook met the Secretary of State in October 2011 to report the findings from his review.

Humber Bridge

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much debt was owed on the Humber Bridge (a) on the most recent date for which figures are available and (b) in 1995; what the rate of interest was in each case; whether any part of the debt was not interest-bearing in each case; and when she expects the debt to be paid off.

Norman Baker: On 31 March 2011 the debt owed on the Humber Bridge was £332,128,000. The effective interest rate on the whole sum is 4.25%, which in 2011-12 comprises 5.13% on £275,023,000 and nil on £57,105,000.
	In 1995-96, the total debt owed was £435,307,192, which comprised 18 different loans from the Public Works Loans Board (PWLB) totalling £76,000,000 and 23 different loans from the then Department of Transport (DoT) totalling £359,307,192.
	The average interest rate on the PWLB loans was 9.52% and on the DoT loans 11.62%. Of the £48,975,278 interest owing in 1995-96, £10,078,000 was paid by the Humber Bridge Board and £38,897,285 was paid by the Department of Transport as grant.
	The debt is expected to be paid off in 2033-34.

Metals: Theft

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate she has made of the total delay to rail journeys caused by metal theft in each of the last five years.

Norman Baker: The Department only has information for the past four years on the total delay to rail journeys caused by metal theft.
	
		
			  Hours 
			 2011-12 (1)2,772 
			 2010-11 6,088 
			 2009-10 5,360 
			 2008-09 4,719 
			 (1)year to date April-August

Trust Ports

Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what rules her Department applies to borrowing by major trust ports; what her policy is on authorising any proposed borrowing in cases where a port has unlimited borrowing powers and where lenders are content to provide finance without requiring any Government guarantee; and if she will make a statement.

Michael Penning: Consent is not required from the Secretary of State for Transport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Putney (Justine Greening), for trust ports to borrow to finance their capital programmes. Therefore there are no such rules required.

Trust Ports

Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether her Department has informed any major trust port classified as a public corporation that it cannot borrow for capital projects because her Department has no provision for such borrowing within its departmental expenditure limit for the period up to and including 2014.

Michael Penning: The Government have no statutory control over borrowing by trust ports. However, as such borrowing by major trust ports scores on the departmental expenditure limit, the Department for Transport asks these ports to make a quarterly return of their forecast borrowing and repayments in the medium term.
	The introduction of “Modernising Trust Ports—A Guide to Good Governance” sets out the position following the Office of National Statistics classification of the largest trust ports as public corporations. Therefore, the Department would expect to be consulted before a major trust port undertook any new borrowing that was likely to have a significant impact on the departmental expenditure limit.

Railways: Olympic Games 2012

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether she has considered plans to improve the (a) speed, (b) frequency and (c) quality of passenger rail services between Romford and Stratford before the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Theresa Villiers: There are no plans to alter the basic service pattern between Romford and Stratford. The December 2011 timetable allows for two further services between London Liverpool Street and Gidea Park in each of the am and pm peak periods. Line capacity issues mean that further peak services cannot currently be accommodated.
	The Olympic Service Delivery Plan will deliver enhanced services throughout the games period. These enhancements have been contracted between train operating companies and the Olympic Delivery Agency. For the Greater Anglia Franchise, serving Romford and Stratford, this will primarily provide additional late evening services for those attending the Olympic park.

Roads: Weather

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps the Highways Agency has taken to improve the provision of information on road conditions in the event of severe winter weather.

Michael Penning: The Highways Agency has taken the following steps to improve the provision of information on road conditions in the event of severe weather:
	The provision of early warnings of severe weather being issued to haulage operators via the Freight Transport Association and Road Haulage Association to allow operators to consider alternative routes and/or revise their delivery schedules;
	Introduced in spring 2011 the provision of traffic data via TomTom satellite navigation devices;
	Introduced in spring 2011 more extensive use of regionally focused Twitter feeds to communicate information about travel conditions;
	Introduced in September 2011 the improved use of over 2,000 electronic Variable Message Signs to include the use of warning message legends to provide advanced notification of severe weather and, in extreme circumstances, legends that advise motorists to avoid the area.

Sellafield: Transport

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will list every safety breach reported during the transportation of nuclear material to and from the Sellafield nuclear site in the last five years.

Michael Penning: holding answer 24 October 2011
	Reports detailing abnormal events occurring during the transport of radioactive material in the UK are produced annually by the Health Protection Agency working under contract to the Department for Transport. Copies of these reports have been placed in the House libraries and are available via the DFT website at:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/publications/radiological-impact-uk
	These reports cover all types of radioactive material whether connected with the nuclear fuel cycle or not and do not mention organisations or sites by name. The events indicated by the following reference numbers in the reports involved shipments to or from the Sellafield site:
	2006—012, 013, 024, 029
	2007—007, 026
	2008—001, 004, 012, 018, 020, 028, 029, 032, 033, 038
	2009—004, 007, 011, 013, 014, 016, 019, 022, 025, 028
	2010—003, 004, 008, 012, 013, 015, 016, 017, 018, 022
	The report covering events that occurred during 2011 will be published in mid 2012.

Shipping: Accidents

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many incidents the Marine Accident Investigation Branch has investigated in each year since its introduction.

Michael Penning: The Marine Accident Investigation Branch was formed in June 1989. The numbers of investigations begun in each full year of its operation are:
	
		
			  Number 
			 1990 126 
			 1991 101 
			 1992 84 
			 1993 103 
			 1994 105 
			 1995 69 
			 1996 50 
			 1997 56 
			 1998 38 
			 1999 39 
			 2000 50 
			 2001 42 
			 2002 24 
			 2003 15 
			 2004 31 
			 2005 25 
			 2006 30 
			 2007 21 
			 2008 26 
			 2009 20 
			 2010 23 
			 2011 (to date) 29

Shipping: Training

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions she has had with Ministers in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills on changes in funding levels to providers of training for cadets entering the Merchant Navy.

Michael Penning: The Government's support for maritime training scheme is funded through the Department for Transport's budget. I am in regular contact with the Minister for Further Education, Skills and Lifelong Learning, my hon. Friend the Member for South Holland and The Deepings (Mr Hayes).

Shipping: Training

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many training positions in the support for maritime training scheme will be affected by the decision to freeze the funding available from her Department.

Michael Penning: I have made funding available beyond this financial year both for those cadets already studying and for those starting their junior officer level training this financial year.
	The total number of new cadets starting this year is not yet known but we are expecting similar numbers to last year.

Shipping: Training

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport with reference to the Report of the Task Force on Maritime Employment and Competitiveness and Policy to the European Commission, what recent assessment she has made of seafarer training and employment.

Michael Penning: In my written statement of 22 June 2011, Official Report, column 17WS, I confirmed that I had commissioned an independent review of the continuing requirement for Government support for training and skills development in the UK maritime sector. I have asked for a report and recommendations to be presented to me by the end of the year.
	Seafarer training and employment were considered by the task force which reported to the European Commission. The Government will consider carefully any proposals that emerge.

Shipping: Working Conditions

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what work her Department is doing on the issue of seafarer fatigue and its impact on safety.

Michael Penning: The Department for Transport and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) take the issue of seafarer fatigue very seriously, and are pursuing a three-tier campaign to address the problem:
	First, by focusing on the enforcement of the existing regulations, in particular during port state inspections where there is evidence that crew fatigue has the potential to affect the safe operation of ships;
	secondly, by seeking international recognition of the problem of fatigue at sea and of its link with seafarer manning levels; and
	thirdly, by working to achieve cultural change within the industry so that seafarer fatigue is recognised as a clear safety issue which is addressed through safety management. The MCA has been contributing expertise to the EU-funded “HORIZON” project which is examining the effects of fatigue on performance, and is expected to report early in 2012.

Thameslink: Rolling Stock

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  whether any of the (a) advisers and (b) consultants that have worked with her Department on the Thameslink Rolling Stock contract have declared a conflict of interest; [R]
	(2)  whether any of the (a) advisers and (b) consultants that have worked with her Department on the Thameslink Rolling Stock have provided (i) advice to and (ii) consultancy work for Siemens plc in the last five years. [R]

Theresa Villiers: Interfleet has notified the Department on three occasions of potential conflicts of interest.
	In September 2008, prior to the issue of the Invitation to Tender, they notified the Department that they had carried out some gauging clearance study work for Siemens.
	In January 2009 they notified the Department that they intended to bid for potential Notified Body approvals contracts with all Thameslink bidders (Alstom, Bombardier, Hitachi and Siemens).
	In July 2011, after the preferred bidder announcement, they notified the Department that they intended to carry out gauge clearance work for Siemens.
	On each occasion Interfleet detailed the management action that would be taken to avoid any conflict of interest. This was reviewed and accepted by the Department.

Thameslink: Rolling Stock

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will publish the reasons why Alstom Transport was not shortlisted after the invitation to tender was published for the Thameslink Rolling Stock contract. [R]

Theresa Villiers: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 19 July 2011, Official Report, columns 968-69W.

Thameslink: Rolling Stock

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate her Department made of the cost to the public purse of awarding the Thameslink Rolling Stock contract to (a) Siemens and (b) Bombardier. [R]

Theresa Villiers: The Department carried out a detailed evaluation of the bids submitted by Siemens and Bombardier, according to the evaluation process detailed in the invitation to tender and published on the DfT website. The impact to the public purse was based on the information provided in the bids.